Elchanan Halpern (December 26, 1921 – February 18, 2015) was the

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

of the Golders Green neighbourhood of London and President of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations. He was also known as the

Av Beit Din The ''av beit din'' ( ''ʾabh bêth dîn'', "chief of the court" or "chief justice"), also spelled ''av beis din'' or ''abh beth din'' and abbreviated ABD (), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, ...

of Radomishl after the town of his maternal grandfather, Rabbi ,

Rav ''Rav'' (or ''Rab,'' Modern Hebrew: ) is the Hebrew generic term for a person who teaches Torah; a Jewish spiritual guide; or a rabbi. For example, Pirkei Avot (1:6) states that: The term ''rav'' is also Hebrew for ''rabbi''. (For a more nuan ...

of Radomishl. He was born in

Košice Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...

, Czechoslovakia. Both of his parents were descendants of Rabbi Chaim Halberstam. In his youth, he studied several years under his grandfather, Rabbi Shmuel Engel, until the death of the latter, who was formally eulogised by Halpern, then aged 13. At age 14, Halpern corresponded with Rabbi Joseph Rosen.See After his marriage, he settled in London. At the time of Halpern's death, He was considered one of the most senior rabbis in the world. He left behind over 1,400 direct descendants, including grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. His five sons and four sons-in-law all hold important rabbinic positions.

References

1921 births 2015 deaths Clergy from Košice Czechoslovak Jews People from Golders Green Rabbis from London {{Judaism-bio-stub