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Five years
after his death,
Detroit's
"chief rabbi"
is still
greatly missed.

PHIL JACOBS

EDITOR

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48

break with
tradition.
This is a
story that will at-
tempt to tell the real relationship be-
tween a man and a community.
Those Detroiters who had the priv-
ilege of knowing Rabbi Leizer Levin,
of blessed memory, would perform a
public service for the rest of us by pro-
viding their names and phone num-
bers. We need to know firsthand what
he was like.
I never had that opportunity to
know him, either from a Jewish or
Jewish journalist's perspective.
Yet, I have found while doing
interviews with persons who knew
him that grown men would stop the
interview and find a place to cry.
Some drifted away in their thoughts
to describe their finest personal mem-
ories of the man.
On Saturday night at Congregation

Dovid Ben Nuchim in Oak Park, the
fifth anniversary of his yahrtzeit will
be commemorated. His son, relatives,
friends and many who loved him will
be there, along with the spirit of a man
who really understood all of us.
Rabbi Leizer Levin knew the dif-
fering spokes of Judaism were all con-
nected to a hub called Torah.
Whether we called ourselves tradi-
tidnal or secular, Rabbi Levin loved us.
He's been gone for five years.
In journalism school, they teach us
to get to the point in what is called the
"nut graph." You need not read any
further than the following nut graph
to understand, though I hope you do.
After five years, Rabbi Leizer
Levin's death is still a fresh loss to this
community. He was Detroit's unoffi-
cial chief rabbi. He is still greatly
missed.
There's a story to start here, so let's
begin it in the Lithuanian town of Han-

isheshuk where he, at the turn of the
"He had written a letter to the in-
century, was born to Rabbi and Mrs. terim rabbi in Vaskai," said Rabbi
Chaim Moshe. At age 13, he
Levin, "telling him that he
Officiatin g at the
was sent to learn at the yeshi-
planned to return. The inter-
va at Aishishok. Two years 1984 wedd ing of his im rabbi sent a letter back
grandso n Rabbi
later, he'd move to Radin to Yisroel Le vin to his saying that if my grandfather
study in the yeshiva of the
came back, then this fellow
wife, R ochel.
Chofetz Chaim.
would be out of a job. He
Rabbi Levin would be the last sur- asked that my grandfather stay in
viving student of the Chofetz Chaim. America and find a job. My grandfa-
The great Chofetz Chaim called him ther didn't want this man to lose his
Leizer Hanisheeshuker. And he told position, so he did stay."
him, "Go speak to Jews."
Rabbi Levin would come to Detroit
Speaking to the Jews in Rabbi and the Petoskey Synagogue. The town
Levin's future meant coming to Amer- of Vaskai would be overrun by the
ica. He was visiting relatives in Erie, Nazis. The synagogue there, its con-
Pa., taking what he thought was a gregation and spiritual leader would
temporary visit from the town of perish.
Vaskai in Lithuania, where he had
In Detroit, Rabbi Levin Nvould send
moved. His grandson, Rabbi Yisroel his children to public school. There
M. Levin, who now heads his grand- were no Orthodox day schools. There
father's Beth Tefilo Emanuel Tikvah was no umbrella organization such as
in Southfield, tells the story of how he the Vaad Harabonim, Council of Rab-
decided to stay here.
bis, which he would help organize and