Rabbi Meir Brandsdorfer ( he, מאיר ברנדסדורפר; 7 September 1934 – 13 May 2009) was a member of the Rabbinical Court of the Edah HaChareidis, the Haredi

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

community in Jerusalem, and was in charge of their

Kashrut (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

operations, especially matters of Shechita. He was an acclaimed mohel. His

responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

have been published under the title ''Knei Bosem''.

Biography

He was born on 7 September 1934, in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Belgium, to his parents, Shlomo and Frumit. After surviving World War II while hiding out in France, he moved to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, together with his family. He became the rabbinical leader of the Toldos Aharon

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

movement, based in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Meah Shearim. When Toldos Aharon's previous '' rebbe'' died, he joined the split-off group named Toldos Avraham Yitzchok. He was highly respected and eulogized by both groups upon his death. The position of rabbinical leader in a Hasidic dynasty is not identical to that of ''rebbe'': The ''rebbe'' is the spiritual leader, while the rabbinical leader - rabbi - is the '' halachic'' expert, who leads the group in questions of Jewish law. While in some Hasidic groups, the ''rebbe'' also fulfills the position of rabbinical leader, in other groups, this position is separate. Brandsdorfer died suddenly at his home in Jerusalem on 13 May 2009, at the age of 74, from

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

, and was buried on the Mount of Olives, near the grave of the ''rebbe'' of Toldos Aharon. His maternal grandfather was R.

Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal (1885–24 January 1945) was one of the few European rabbis to break ranks with Ashkenazi Orthodox Judaism to support an active effort to settle the land of Israel. He was murdered on a transport train during the closing ...

, author of

Eim HaBanim Semeicha ''Eim HaBanim Semeicha'' was written by Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal, and published in 1943 in Budapest, Hungary. The title is taken from Psalms and means “A Joyous Mother of Children”. The Book Teichtal grew up as a staunch anti-Zionist ...

References

External links

Pictures of funeral procession, attended by thousands

Works

Knei Bosem Volume 1

Knei Bosem Volume 2

Knei Bosem Volume 3

Knei Bosem Niddah Volume 1

Knei Bosem Niddah Volume 2
1934 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Belgian Jews Belgian Ashkenazi Jews Hasidic rabbis in Israel Rabbis of the Edah HaChareidis Belgian Orthodox rabbis Hasidic rabbis in Europe Belgian emigrants to Israel Clergy from Antwerp Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives Mohels Israeli Hasidic rabbis {{Hasidic-Judaism-stub