BDE: Harav Yekusiel Bittersfeld Zatzal

Petirah of Harav Yekusiel Bittersfeld ZTL Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva & Kollel Harbotzas Hatorah who was niftar at the age of 90 after a long illness.
He was a talmid of Harav Aharon Kotler zatzal and produced many talmidim.
He was also RY of Yeshiva Beer Shmuel before Harbotzas Hatorah.

The Levaya is taking place at the yeshiva  at 1049 E 15th Street Brooklyn, NY

His son is the Rav of Bais Nochum in Lakewood son in law Rav Shragi Schiff shlita.
Hamodia- As a young child, he was orphaned from his father during the holocaust, and afterwards immigrated to Eretz Yisrael together with his mother. He joined Yeshivas Ponovez, where he learned for a while.

He was asked to travel to America to raise funds for Pe’elim, and during his stay, he spent Simchas Torah in Lakewood with Hagaon Harav Aharon Kotler, zt”l. He decided that his place was with Rav Aharon, and he joined Beis Medrash Govoha.

Rav Aharon took Rav Yekusiel under his wing, and served as his shadchan when he married the daughter of Harav Chaim Tzvi Kruger, zt”l, the Rav of Brussels, Belgium. The Satmar Rebbe, zy”a, attended his  Sheva Brachos, since Rav Bittersfeld was a descendant of the Yismach Moshe. (Rav Bittersfeld’s yichus included Rav Usher of Ropshitz and the Kolbesover Rav as well.)



Some thirty years ago, Rav Bittersfeld opened Yeshiva Harbotzas Hatorah in Flatbush, which today is a Kollel where yungeleit learn under the leadership of his son, Harav Shmuel Yosef, who also serves as the Rav of the Brookhill neighborhood in Lakewood, NJ.

The levaya took place Wednesday morning at his yeshiva on East 15th Street in Flatbush. The maspidim included Harav Nissan Goodman, shlita of Yeshiva Tiferes Elimelech, Harav Malkiel Kotler, shlita of Beis Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, his son in law Harav Chaim Nussbaum, his sons Harav Avraham Aharon and Harav Shmuel Yosef, his nephew Harav Yitzchak Kruger, and two of his einiklach.

Kevurah is scheduled to be on Har Hamenuchos on Thursday.

Rav Yekusiel Yehudah is survived by his dedicated Rebbitzen, who stood at his side and assisted her husband is all his endeavors; his daughters, married to Harav Shraga Schiff of Beis Shraga of Monsey and to Harav Chaim Nussbaum of Toronto respectively, his son Harav Avraham Aharon of Yerushalayim and his son Harav Shmuel Yosef of Lakewood.

Yehi zichro baruch.