Tolner Rebbes

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For the Chodorov family and other descendants of R. Dovid Twersky of Tolna Click Here.

R. Pinchas Twersky, Trisker Rebbe of London

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R. Chaim M. Twersky, Trisker Rebbe of London

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R. Dovid Twersky, Trisk-Buhush Rebbe

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R. Shalom Yosef of Trisk NY, G. Grandson of R. Dovid of Tolna

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sil of manestritz

R. Yaacov Aryeh of Trisk, G. Grandson of R. Dovid of Tolna

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R. Moshe Leib of Chelm, Grandson of R. Dovid of Tolna

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R. Mordechai Zusia of Hotzoles, Grandson of R. Dovid of Tolna

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R. Yitzchok Menachem of Rava Ruska, G. Granson of R. Dovid of Tolna

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R. Yitzchok of Skver, Great Grandson of R. Dovid of Tolna

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R. Yisroel Zvi Weinberg, SIL of R. Yochonon of Tolna

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R Yisroel Zvi Weinberg, Son in law of R Yochana zt"l with a grandson at his bar mitzva.

Rabbi Menachem Nochum of Brisk, Son in Law of Rabbi Dovid of Tolna

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Rabbi Menachem Nochum of Shpikov, Son in Law of Rabbi Dovid of Tolna

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Rabbi Motel of Rachmastrifka, Son in Law of Rabbi Dovid of Tolna

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Rabbi Chaim Mayer of Berdichev, Son in Law of R. Dovid of Tolna

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Rabbi Motel Twersky, son of R. Dovid'l Tolner

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Rabbi Motel Twersky was the only son of R. Dovid of Tolna to survive infancy. He was born in 1854 in the town of Vosylkov and was named after his grandfather Rabbi Mordechai of Chernoble.

R. Motel married Yocheved Guterman the granddaughter of R. Moshe Tzvi of Savaran at the age of 14. During his short life he and his wife lost ten children except for one son, R. Menachem Nochum, who would later become the second rebbe of Tolna.

Around the age of 30 R. Motel became sick was was advised by doctors to travel to Italy. Perhaps the fresh air would help him to recover. However the Russian government prohibited any member of the Twersky family to travel outside the country fot feat that they would start a revolution. Not being allowed the proper treatment R. Motel died in 1977, five years before his father's death.

Rabbi Menachem Dovid Chodorov, Tolner Viznitzer Rebbe

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Rabbi Mordechai Chodorov, Tolner-Vizhnitzer Rebbe

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Rabbi Moshe Twersky, Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivas Torahs Moshe

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Rabbi Moshe Twersky is a lecturer at Yeshiva Toras Moshe in Jerusalem. He is the elder son of Rabbi Isadore Twersky of Boston, and a grandson of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He lives in the Har Nof neighborhood in Jerusalem. His wife is the daughter of Rabbi Abba Berman, the late rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Iyun HaTalmud, and runs the Hadar Seminary for Women in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Mayer Twersky, Rosh Yeshiva at Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon

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Rabbi Mayer Twersky born October 17, 1960, to Isidore Twersky the second Tolner Rebbe of Boston. His mother Atarah Twersky is the daughter of Joseph B. Soloveitchik . He attended the Maimonides School, which his grandfather founded, through high school. He then attended Harvard College, while studying Talmud privately with his grandfather. Following college, he studied for rabbinic ordination at RIETS.

He is currently a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University.

On April 10, 2011, the final services of the Beis Midrash in Boston were held. The shul moved to Riverdale, NY, where Rabbi Mayer Twersky, younger son of the late Talenr Rebbe, Rabbi Isadore Twersky, has a synagogue.

Many of his lectures and essays can be found here.

Rabbi Yitzchok Menachem Weinberg, Tolner Rebbe of Jerusalem

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Rabbi Amitai Twersky, Tolner Rebbe of Ashdod, Israel

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Letter by the Tolner Rebbe to the creator of this site.

Rabbi Norman Twersky, Rabbi of Cong. Beth Shalom of Rego Park

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Rabbi Norman Twersky was the son of R. Meshulem Twersky, Tolna Rebbe of Boston. He served as rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Rego Park, Queens, NY.

Cong. Beth Shalom, Rego Park, NY:

Rabbi Yitzchok Twersky, Tolner Rebbe of Boston

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Rabbi Yitzchok Twersky (Professor Isadore Twersky) was born in Boston in 1930, and attended both Boston Latin School and Boston Hebrew College, which was then known as Hebrew Teachers' College.

He succeeded his father as the Tolner Rebbe for the last twenty years of his life. He was a son-in-law of Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. His elder son, Rabbi Mosheh Twersky, is a lecturer at Yeshivas Toras Moshe in Jerusalem. His other son, Rabbi Mayer Twersky, holds the Leib Merkin Distinguished Professorial Chair in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy and is a rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University. His daughter Tzipporah Rosenblatt is a lawyer. She is married to Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Rosenblatt, who serves as the rabbi of the Riverdale Jewish Center in New York City.

He graduated from Harvard in 1952, where he majored in history. In 1949, he was one of the first students to spend a year abroad at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he developed relationships with such scholarly and literary giants as Gershom Scholem, Yitzhak Baer, Haim Hillel Ben-Sasson and Nobel Prize winner S. Y. Agnon.

Upon his graduation from Harvard he began studies toward a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, under the guidance of the scholar of medieval philosophy, Harry Austryn Wolfson. His doctorate was on the twelfth century Provencal Talmudist, Rabbi Abraham ben David of Posquières (Rabad), which, when subsequently published under the title Rabad of Posquières: A Twelfth-Century Talmudist.

He worked at Harvard University for more than 30 years and served as director of the Center for Jewish Studies from 1978 until 1993.

He died October 12, 1997 at the age of 67 and was buried in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Yochonon Twersky, Tolner Rebbe of Jerusalem

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Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Twersky, Tolner Rebbe of Philadelphia

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Rabbi Meshulem Zusia Twersky, Tolner Rebbe of Boston

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Rabbi Dovid Mordechai Twersky, Third Tolner Rebbe

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Rabbi Dovid Mordechai Twersky, born in 1888, was the eldest son of R. Menachem Nochum, the second Tolner Rebbe.

He was married to Chava the daughter of Rabbi Shlomo Zalmina Zukerman of Rashkov.

In August, 1913 he left Russia for the United States. His leaving Europe was spurred by a series of events that found him at odds with the Russian government, including being arrested in order to be enlisted into the army. After being accused of stealing several Torah scrolls, he decide to move to America. He was in fact rescuing the scrolls that belonged to his father's synagogue from the house of the thief.

He opened a synagogue in the Lower East Side named Kahal Chasidim at 9 Attorney Street and later moved to Brooklyn at 142 21st Street.

R. Dovid M. and Chava had two sons and four daughters. Their sons were R. Yochonon, the Tolner Rebbe of Jerusalem and Nick Nochum Tolner. Their daughters were Lillian, married to Harry Schwamm, Edith Moore, Dora Klein, and Sadie Gushlowitz.
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He died on 1957 and was buried in United Hebrew cemetery on Staten Island, NY. See picture of grave below.

See at right an article from the 1913 in the New York Times about the arrival of R. Dovid M. in New York.

See below ship manifest listing R. Dovid M. and 1930 US census listing R. David M. and his family living in Brooklyn.

Rabbi Menachem Nochum Twersky, Second Tolner Rebbe

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Rabbi Menachem Nochum Twersky, born in 1869, was the son of R' Mordechai Twersky, the only child of R' Dovid to survie childhood. His mother was Yocheved the daughter of Rabbi Shimon Shlomo of Savaran. His father died when he was eight years old.

As the only living desendant of R' Dovid he became the rabbi of Tolna upon his grandfather's death. He was married to his 1st cousin Sima the daughter of R' Moshe Tzvi, son of R' Shimon Shlomo of Savaran.

At left is the grave of Sima Twersky, buried in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

R' Menachem Nochum and Sima had ten children. His oldest child was R' Dovid Mordechai, then R' Moshe Tzvi, R' Meshulem Zusia, R' Yochonon, R' Yitzchok, R' Avrohom, R' Ahron, Chanah Gabai, Feiga Schneider and Chaya Dovreish.

At right is the grave of his son R' Yitzchok, buried in Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York

Rabbi Dovid of Tolna, First Tolner Rebbe

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Rabbi Dovid Twersky was one of eight sons born to Rabbi Mordechai Twersky, the second Rabbi of the Ukrainian town of Chernobil. He was named after his maternal grandfather Rabbi Dovid Leikes who had died nine years prior. At the age of 13 he married Feiga Yenta the daughter of Rabbi Yisroel Avraham of Tcherni-Ostrah.

After his father's death Dovid became the rabbi of Vosilkov where many chassidim of his father dwelled. Eventually he moved to Tolna where he lived until he died in 1878.

During his lifetime he wrote and published three books. The first one "Magen Dovid" was published while he was living in Vosilkov. The second book was titled "Birchas Dovid" and the third "Kehilas Dovid".

R. Dovid had many sons and daughters who died in infancy. His surviving children were one son and four daughters. Rabbi Motel his son, who lived till 30 died five years before R. Dovid but had a son who would fill R. Dovid's position as Rabbi of Tolna.

Rabbi Dovid's four daughters were:

Zisa Chanah Twersky who was married to Rabbi Chaim Mayer of Berdichev.

Shaindel Twersky who was married to Rabbi Chaim Menachem of Zinkov and later to Rabbi Mencahem Nochum Twersky of Shpikov the son of Rabbi Yitzchok of Skver.

Chaya Twersky who was married to Rabbi Menachem Nochum Twersky of Brisk the son of Rabbi Avroham of Trisk.

Miriam Twersky who was married to Rabbi Motel Twersky the son of Rabbi Yochonon of Rachmastrifk.

The picture on the left is of Rabbi Dovid's Streimal currently in the possesion of Rabbi Amita Twersky, Tolner Rebbe of Ashdod, Israel.

At right is a street seen in modern day Tolna.

The ohel of R. Dovid'l of Tolna