Yitzchok Dov Koppelman (May 1905 – June 17, 2011) was born in

Vasilishki Vasilishki ( be, Васілішкі, russian: Василишки, pl, Wasiliszki, yi, װאַסילישאָק ''Vasilishok'', lt, Vosyliškės) is an urban settlement in Shchuchyn District, Grodno Region, Belarus, the administrative center of Va ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

. He was the head of the 1915-founded ''Lucerne Yeshiva in Switzerland'' for nearly 50 years. A year before he died, a report about his visit from Switzerland to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia was titled "''World's oldest rabbi visits Oz''". While the main purpose of his trip was to raise additional funds for his yeshiva, he gave a number of public lectures: at an elementary school, a high school, a

Kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

, and a major shul.

Career

Koppelman was "a leading disciple of Rabbi

Shimon Shkop Shimon Yehuda Shkop ( he, שמעון שקופ; 1860 – October 22, 1939) was a rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Yeshiva of Telshe and then of Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah of Grodno, and a Talmid Chacham (Talmudic scholar). Early life Shkop was born in T ...

," having been at the latter's yeshiva for 18 years. Prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he ran a yeshiva; after the war he established two more: one in Europe, another in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, the latter "named after the well known sefer by the same name written by R' Shimon Shkop." His work in Switzerland began in 1963. The Yeshiva was based in Obernau in the

canton of Lucerne The canton of Lucerne (german: Kanton Luzern rm, Chantun Lucerna french: Canton de Lucerne it, Canton Lucerna) is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the populati ...

(municipality of Kriens), where Koppelman worked for 48 years and taught and inspired thousands of students from all over the world, including "Western Europe.. the United Kingdom, .. the United States of America, Canada, Eretz Yisroel and even Australia." as well as from Central and South America.

End of life

He was referred to as ''Zekan Roshei HaYeshivos'' (the world’s senior Rosh HaYeshiva), and lived to the age of 106. Koppelman's health permitted a trip from Switzerland to Australia the prior June. After being "hospitalized for" the prior "few weeks" he passed away. His body was transferred to Jerusalem and solemnly buried there in the presence of thousands of people.Bottom third of Front Page photo/two line caption: It was noted that Koppelman's passing was within the same two weeks that included those of Rabbi

Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz (1913 – 27 June 2011) was a respected Haredi Lithuanian Torah leader and rosh yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, for over 70 years. He was a '' maggid shiur'' at Yeshivas Tiferes Tzion from 1940 to 2011 and rosh yeshiva of ...

and Rabbi

Chaim Stein Chaim Yaakov Stein (March 29, 1913 - June 29, 2011) is best known for leading the Telshe Yeshiva at three times in its history: in Lithuania, Cleveland and Wickliffe. Early life Chaim Yaakov Stein was born to Binyamin Moshe and Miriam Stein in "the ...

.died June 29, age 98:

References

* This work began as a machine translation of a German-language wiki article. Initial editing was to incorporate material from a 2/3 page detailed obituary (he lived to 106). Subsequent touching up was to incorporate information (and citations) found via google. 1905 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Swiss rabbis 21st-century Swiss rabbis Orthodox rabbis {{Europe-rabbi-stub