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Rabbi Yehezkel Abramsky (b. 7 February, 1886 (near Most and Grodno, Lithuania)– d. 19 September, 1976) was one of the world's most eminent Orthodox rabbis of the 20th century.

He was born in Lithuania, the third child and eldest son of Mordecai Zalman Abramsky, a local timber merchant, and his wife, Freydel Goldin of Grodno, and studied at the yeshivas of Telz, Mir, Slabodka and particularly Brisk under Hayyim Soloveitchik, becoming a rabbi at the age of 17. He served the communities of Smolyan, Smolevich and Slutsk.

In 1909 he married Reizel, daughter of Israel Jonathan Jerusalimsky, head of the Jewish court at Iehumen, Russia.

Following the Russian Revolution, he was at the forefront of opposition to Communist attempts to repress the Jewish religion and culture. As a result the Russian government refused Abramsky permission to take up the rabbinate of Petah Tikvah in Palestine in both 1926 and 1928.

In 1928, he started a Hebrew magazine, Yagdil Torah ("Make Great [the] Torah"), but the authorities closed it after two issues appeared. In 1929, he was arrested and sentenced to five years hard labor in Siberia. However, in 1931 he was rescued by the German government under Chancellor Brüning, who exchanged him for six communists they held.

He emigrated to London in 1932, becoming a rabbi there. Chief rabbi Joseph H. Hertz persuaded him to become the senior dayan of the London Beth Din, holding the post until he retired to Jerusalem in 1951.

He produced a massive commentary on the Tosefta, called Hazon Yehezkel (24 volumes, 1925–1975), which was acclaimed by both rabbis and secular scholars.

He was the father of Professor Chimen Abramsky (and three other sons) and grandfather of Professor Samson Abramsky and Jenny Abramsky.

Abramsky died in Jerusalem on 19 September, 1976. His funeral was attended by over 40,000 people, making it one of the largest ever seen in the city.

[edit] References

• Raphael Loewe, ‘Abramsky, Yehezkel (1886–1976)’, rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 1 December, 2006