Eliezer Silver

Eliezer Silver (; February 15, 1882 - February 7, 1968 ) was the President of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders. He helped save many thousands of Jews in the Second World War and held several Rabbinical positions in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Ohio.

Biography

Silver was born in Obeliai, Lithuania, one of two sons of Rabbi Bunim Tzemach

However, Silver soon accepted a Rabbinical position at Kesher Israel Congregation in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which he served from 1907 to 1925. His Torah scholarship soon drew him into leading Orthodox circles on the national level. In 1912, he was part of a delegation of rabbis that asked President William Howard Taft to void a treaty with Russia because of Russia's persecution of Jews. who "already had his own kashrut supervision and who viewed Rabbi Silver's activities as encroachment."

Silver was very active in the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada, elected its president in 1929. He was also a pivotal founder, organizer, and president of Agudath Israel of America.

Post-World War II In 1949 Silver founded the Chofetz Chaim Day School (also known as the Cincinnati Hebrew Day School.) He died in 1968, at the age of 85

Noteworthy students One of his star students was Rabbi Shlomo Wahrman, who came from Leipzig for fifteen years and went on to becoming principal and Rosh Yeshiva of the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County. Wahrman attributes his success to Silver's insistence and encouragement to hone his writing skills and record his copious chidushei Torah. Wahrman writes in the short biography he published on Silver:I remember at times he screamed at me for lack of understanding-however, even then I sensed his great love and concern for me and not the slightest hint of hatred. Rabbi Silver was a man whose very essence was giving to others - his ahavas yisroel (love for his fellow Jew) knew no bounds…he saw every Jew as an extension of himself.