Hagaon Harav Yecheskel Mertz zt"l

By Yitzchok Cohen

Harav Yechezkel Hertz, or "Reb Chezkele," as he was fondly called, didn't earn public renown because of his yichus, his shul. or his kehillah. It was his sterling sincerity and integrity, his unique simplicity and old fashioned charm, that captured the hearts of his admirers and made him a revered figure until his early petirah on 9 Sivan 5732. The Mahder Rav, Harav Mordechai Leib Winlder, zt"l (known as the Levushei Mordechai), said of Harav Yechezkel, "He is one of the thirty-six hidden tzaddikim in our generation."

His Roots

Harav Yechezkel Mertz was born in the city of Kashau, Hungary, today a part of Slovakia, 100 years ago, in the year 5668. His father was Harav Yoel Zussman Mertz, zi"], Harav Yoel Zussman was the son of Harav Dovid Tzvi Mertz from the city of Nanash in Hungary, who was well known for his saintliness and temimus. Harav Dovid Tzvi would not allow anyone to take photographs of him, which posed a problem when he applied for a passport. This rigorous adherence to principles precluded his attendance at even close family weddings that took place beyond the Hungarian border.

Harav Yoel Zussman was the son-in-law of a venerable tzaddik, Harav Yaakov Frankfurter of Kashau. It is said of Harav Yaakov that when he first met his future bride, he took a moment to wash his hands at the sink. Deeply immersed in thought, he proceeded to pour the water over a nearby birdcage instead. The girl's father, Harav Yisroel Chaim Braun, witnessed the mishap and remarked, "Yes, he is perfectly suitable for our family."

Harav Yoel Zussman bequeathed these spiritual genes to his son, Harav Yechezkel. Their piety was matched only by their humility. Once, when a wall of Harav Yechezkels dilapidated dwelling caved in, both father and son donned work aprons and set to work reconstructing the wall, heedless of the fact that it was beneath their dignity to do so. In another telling incident, Harav Yechezkel once noticed that a light fixture in his father's home needed a bulb replaced. Without a thought for his own honor, he immediately did the job. His father remarked, "Look, he is already a skilled electrician." Indeed, with his fiery and uncompromising service of Hashem, Harav Yechezkel was a worthy new link in his illustrious family chain.

A Holy Child

Harav Yechezkel's mother would often relate that as a child of nine, her son placed a board under his mattress so that he wouldn't sleep too comfortably. (This story was related by Reb Elimelech Frankfurter, who heard it from Harav Yechezkel's mother.) In his youth, Harav Yechezkel learned with his maternal grandfather, Harav Yaakov Frankfurter, who demonstrated a special love for the child. The boy exerted himself to the utmost, often learning as many as twenty hours at a time. He found a hiding place in the attic where he was able to keep to this rigorous routine without risk of interference. He completed Shas a few times during this period and retained this knowledge for the rest of his life.

Life Before the War

Harav Yechezkel married Rebbetzin Esther, a daughter of Rabbi Avraham Moshe Braun. His father-in-law undertook to support them so that Harav Yechezkel could continue his avodas hakodesk undisturbed. It was during this period that he received semicha from eminent Torah greats such as the Kashauer Rav,

Harav Shaul Brach, who was deeply impressed by the scope of his knowledge. (Unfortunately, this ksav was destroyed by the Nazis.) The prewar years saw Harav Yechezkel's renown spread, and he was accorded much honor by the Admorim and Rabbanim of his time, among them the Stropkover Rav, Harav Avraham Shalom Halberstam, zt"l.

Soon after World War II broke out, Harav Yechezkel risked his life to travel from Kashau to Satumare to solicit a brachia from the Satmar Rebbe. The Rebbe treated him with great honor and respect. After he left, the Rebbe was said to have remarked, "Such Hidden were to be found among the talmidei Baal Shem Hakadosh:"

The War Years

Had he been given the chance, Harav Yechezkel would have been grateful to serve his Creator in peace and serenity, but this was not his destiny. The terrible storm that descended on him in 1940 left him grieving in its wake, mourning the death of his wife and five children.

Yet amid the terrible angst and turbulence, he merited to experience open miracles. One such incident took place on a Motzoei Shabbos at a military recruiting office. Harav Yechezkel had been called up to serve, but because he had a hearing impediment, his father accompanied him to act as his interpreter. While waiting on line, Harav Yechezkel made Havdalah on some wine and a candle that he had brought from home. An anti-Semite who witnessed this jumped at the opportunity to inform on him to the officers, claiming that Harav Yechezkel was signaling the enemy. The officers called him in and demanded to know why he was celebrating with wine. Harav Yechezkel insisted that it was water. They tasted it ". and it was water. He was released, and his informant was scolded for giving false information.

Another startling episode took place when Harav Yechezkel stood in a train station awaiting a train from Niredyhausz to Satumare. A member of the dreaded Sakasveszeta, the Hungarian Secret Police, passed by and noticed his beard. The policeman mocked him, saying, "One can make a broom from such a beard!"

Another startling episode took place when Harav Yechezkel stood in a train station awaiting a train from Niredyhausz to Satumare. A member of the dreaded Sakasveszeta, the Hungarian Secret Police, passed by and noticed his beard. The policeman mocked him, saying, "One can make a broom from such a beard!"

The tzaddik did not reply to the insult. He calmed his fellow travelers, assuring them there was no reason to fear. Barely a few moments had passed when the spiteful thug slipped on the snow, breaking a few bones in the process. He was transported to the hospital in serious condition.

Throughout the war years, Harav Yechezkel ate sparingly from his daily meager portion of bread so that he could save enough for two portions for Shabbos to make the brachan on lechem mishneh. He was sometimes seen walking worriedly around the labor camp on a Friday, asking, "Where does one find fish for Shabbos?" And often he could be found sitting alone and learning aloud, with danger all around him.

Rebuilding

With the guns of war finally silenced, Harav Yechezkel set about picking up the shattered pieces of his life. He found his way to Budapest, where many survivors had temporarily settled. He married his worthy Rebbetzin, a daughter of Rabbi Yaakov Peretz Silberman and a granddaughter of Harav Naftali Hertzka of Ratzfert. Together they built a beautiful home and raised a worthy generation of eminent Rabbanim. In Budapest, the door to Harav Yechezkel's home was always open to the many brokenhearted Jews who came to share their troubles with this compassionate tzaddik. His family and followers were witness to wondrous yeshuos that occurred. As the Soviet Communists tightened their grip over Hungary, the Jewish refugees sought every possible means of escape. In 1950, Harav Yechezkel moved to Vienna, Austria, and in 1957, he crossed the Atlantic and settled in Williamsburg. In his new surroundings, Harav Yechezkel founded a shul where he could pursue his devotions freely. Even so, he saw nothing unusual about leaving his own shul to daven in the Satmar shul when he felt the need. In his humility, he couldn't comprehend why anyone would want to daven in his shul. When a resident of Crown Heights wanted to come to him for Yom Tov, Harav Yechezkel asked the man, "Have you no minyan closer to home?"

Harav Yechezkel's home was a well known address for all who sought wise counsel, soothing comfort, or spiritual guidance. His advice ranged from the practical to the seemingly mystical. A woman once came to him with a problem - her face sometimes swelled so severely that she became unrecognizable. Harav Yechezkel advised her to eat grapefruit; she did, and the swelling disappeared for good. Another time, a man came in to complain that he'd been hiccupping ceaselessly for three weeks and nothing helped. Harav Yechezkel told him to drink three cups of tea without sugar. As soon as he did, the hiccupping stopped.

When another man tried this remedy on his own, it was not successful, and he came to Harav Yechezkel to complain. The tzaddik replied.,"] didn't instruct yau to do it." There are dozens of stories about how Harav Yechezkel discreetly helped people, using inexplicable strengths.

A Life of Torah

Harav Yechezkel's diligence in learning grew over the years. He spent countless hours bent over his beloved tomes, and when fatigue threatened to overtake him, he would sniff a pinch of strong snuff that would invigorate him. Despite his revered status, he could be found conversing with youngsters in learning, and he would race back and forth to the sefarim shrank to look for the sources he needed. His Torah thoughts and chiddushim on sugyas of Shas are recorded in the sefer Tiferes Yechezkel.

‘ He Hears What He Wants to Hear’

The Satmar Rebbe, the Divrei Yael, zy" a, once entered his shul and heard unusually loud voices. He asked his gabbai what was going on, and the gabbai explained that the Ziditchover Rebbe was learning with Harav Yechezkel Mertz, and because of the latter's hearing difficulty, the Ziditchover Rebbe had to raise his voice. The Satmar Rebbe responded, "He hears what he wants to hear ... " Harav Yechezkel lived in his own private world, purposely oblivious to everything going on around him. He took no interest in news or politics. His ability to retreat into his own thoughts came to the fore one bedikas chametz night when a fire broke out in the basement of his home. Pandemonium reigned; firefighters rushed about trying to extinguish the flames. The only calm, unmoving figure was that of Harav Yechezkel bent over his shtender, oblivious to the din. In the sefer Shiochei Tzaddik, Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Deutch relates that he was once outdoors late at night and noticed Harav Yechezkel walking past. "Rebbe," he called out, "Chazul state that a Torah scholar should not walk alone on the street at night" (Brachas 43:72).

"One who bonds with the Creator is never alone!" Harav Yechezkel responded.

On his third and final visit to Brooklyn in 1958, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, the Imrei Chaim, zy" a, noticed Harav Yechezkel at his tisch and addressed him. "Reb Chezkele," he said, "let us make a trade. I will give you simchah and you will give me yiras Shamayim,"

"It's good the way it is," Harav Yechezkel responded.

Harav Yechezkel Mertz departed this world while still in his prime, at the age of 64. A massive crowd attended his levayah. His father, Harav Yoel Zussman, eulogized him, saying "If he had lived to say one Kaddish for me, I would be more at peace ... " (end)

_______________________________________________

One of Reb Yechezkele's impressive accomplishments was the founding of the Tolaas Yaakov bus line. This bus company transports Yidden to their workplaces in Manhattan during the work week, enabling them to avoid the spiritual pitfalls inherent in using public transportation. Harav Yechezkel invested much energy and vast sums of money to get this project off the ground. People did not warm to the idea easily, and at first the company lost money.

One day, someone complained to Harav Yechezkel about the financial drain. The tzaddik walked over to the window and peered out just as a city bus zoomed past. "Look at that," he remarked. "That bus runs punctually despite being only half full. We must learn to do the same." His strong will eventually paid off. Today, packed Tolaas Yaakov buses operate daily between Williamsburg and Manhattan. We must not neglect to mention Rabbi Chaim Klein, zt"l, who assisted Harav Yechezkel in starting the bus line.

______________________________________________

Harav Yechezkel acquainted himself with all the Admorim of his generation. His relationship to them was one of total humility and subservience. Whenever a Rebbe visited Williamsburg for Shabbos, Harav Yechezkel would try to attend his tisch.

He would frequent the tischen of the Satmar Rebbe, zy"a, mingling anonymously with the crowd until the Rebbe detected his presence and sat him in a place of honor. One Motzoei Shabbos, the Rebbe honored Harav Yechezkel by requesting that he sing "Adon Kol Ha'olamos." It was only then that Harav Yechezkel remembered he had forgotten to sing it at home, as he usually did. The Satmar Rebbe had discerned the omission and gave him the opportunity to keep his minhag. Harav Yechezkel also visited the Rebbe often with his personal questions. He once asked if he should travel to Poland to daven at kivrei tzaddikim. "lhr kent poi/en," the Rebbe salilingly replied, using a play on the Yiddish word for Poland.

In 1968, the Satmar Rebbe suffered a stroke. Harav Yechezkel secluded himself in his shul, fasting and davening on the Rebbe's behalf. This went on for three days, until he received news that the Rebbe's: health had taken a turn for the better. Only then did he break his fast on a cup of coffee.

Harav Yechezkel drew close to the Skverer Rebbe, Harav Yaakov Yosef Twersky, zt"l whom he first, got to know in Budapest. The Skverer Rebbe once said of him, "He is a Yid who is moser nefesh every moment for the Eibishter." Harav Yechezkel spent a Shabbos in the town of New Square, insisting on wearing boots so as not to differ from the minhag hamakom. For the first few years after the town's establishment, drivers had a hard time finding their way from New York City to New Square. Harav Yechezkel's sense of direction was poor, especially in suburban areas, yet whenever he traveled to New Square he was able to show his driver the right route. Apparently, he was able to sense a certain spirituality that emanated from the town, and it guided him to the correct location.

While still in Vienna, Harav Yechezkel and ybl"ch, his son, Harav Chaim, visited the Belzer Rav, Harav Aharon Rokeach, zy"a. After they left the house, the Belzer Rav sent a messenger after them to ask for Harav Yechezkel's mother's name so that he could have him in mind in his prayers.

______________________________________________

Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Mertz

Baal Tiferes Yechezkel

Niftar 9 Sivan, 1972

Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Mertz was highly regarded in the chassidisher world as an outstanding tzaddik. Being a close friend of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe, he was buried alongside the ohel (mausoleum) that was originally designated as the Satmar Rebbe’s intended burial place.

Washington Cemetery (Floral Park)

104 Deans Rhode Hall Rd

Monmouth Junction (Deans), NJ 08852

(Satmar Section, Ohel)

---

Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Mertz

Baal Tiferes Yechezkel

Niftar 9 Sivan, 1972

Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Mertz was highly regarded in the chassidisher world as an outstanding tzaddik. Being a close friend of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe, he was buried alongside the ohel (mausoleum) that was originally designated as the Satmar Rebbe’s intended burial place.

Washington Cemetery (Floral Park)

104 Deans Rhode Hall Rd

Monmouth Junction (Deans), NJ 08852

(Satmar Section, Ohel)

---

Hagaon Harav Yecheskel Mertz zt"l

By Yitzchok Cohen

Harav Yechezkel Hertz, or "Reb Chezkele," as he was fondly called, didn't earn public renown because of his yichus, his shul. or his kehillah. It was his sterling sincerity and integrity, his unique simplicity and old fashioned charm, that captured the hearts of his admirers and made him a revered figure until his early petirah on 9 Sivan 5732. The Mahder Rav, Harav Mordechai Leib Winlder, zt"l (known as the Levushei Mordechai),

said of Harav Yechezkel, "He is one of the thirty-six hidden tzaddikim in our generation."

His Roots

Harav Yechezkel Mertz was born in

the city of Kashau, Hungary, today a

part of Slovakia, 100 years ago, in the

year 5668. His father was Harav Yoel

Zussman Mertz, zi"], Harav Yoel

Zussman was the son of Harav Dovid

Tzvi Mertz from the city of Nanash in

Hungary, who was well known for his

saintliness and temimus.

Harav Dovid Tzvi would not allow

anyone to take photographs of him,

which posed a problem when he

applied for a passport. This rigorous

adherence to principles precluded his

attendance at even close family

weddings that took place beyond the

Hungarian border.

Harav Yoel Zussman was the son-in

law of a venerable tzaddik, Harav

Yaakov Frankfurter of Kashau. It is said

of Harav Yaakov that when he first met

his future bride, he took a moment to

wash his hands at the sink. Deeply

immersed in thought, he proceeded to

pour the water over a nearby birdcage

instead. The girl's father, Harav Yisroel

Chaim Braun, witnessed the mishap

and remarked, "Yes, he is perfectly

suitable for our family."

Harav Yoel Zussman bequeathed

these spiritual genes to his son, Harav

Yechezkel. Their piety was matched

only by their humility. Once, when a

wall of Harav Yechezkels dilapidated

dwelling caved in, both father and son

donned work aprons and set to work

reconstructing the wall, heedless of the

fact that it was beneath their dignity to

do so. In another telling incident, Harav

Yechezkel once noticed that a light

fixture in his father's home needed a

bulb replaced. Without a thought for

his own honor, he immediately did the

job. His father remarked, "Look, he is

already a skilled electrician."

Indeed, with his fiery and

uncompromising service of Hashem,

Harav Yechezkel was a worthy new

link in his illustrious family chain.

A Holy Child

Harav Yechezkel's mother would often

relate that as a child of nine, her son

placed a board under his mattress so that

he wouldn't sleep too comfortably. (This

story was related by Reb Elimelech

Frankfurter, who heard it from Harav

Yechezkel's mother.)

In his youth, Harav Yechezkel learned

with his maternal grandfather, Harav

Yaakov Frankfurter, who demonstrated a

special love for the child. The boy exerted

himself to the utmost, often learning as

many as twenty hours at a time. He found

a hiding place in the attic where he was

able to keep to this rigorous routine

without risk of interference. He

completed Shas a few times during this

period and retained this knowledge for

the rest of his life.

Life Before the War

Harav Yechezkel married Rebbetzin

Esther, a daughter of Rabbi Moshe

Braun. His father-in-law undertook to

support them so that Harav Yechezkel

could continue his avodas hakodesk

undisturbed. It was during this period

that he received semicha from eminent

Torah greats such as the Kashauer Rav,

Harav Shaul Brach, who was deeply

impressed by the scope of his

knowledge. (Unfortunately, this ksav

was destroyed by the Nazis.)

The prewar years saw Harav

Yechezkel's renown spread, and he was

accorded much honor by the Admorim

and Rabbanim of his time, among them

the Stropkover Rav, Harav Avraham

Shalom Halberstam, zt"l.

Soon after World War II broke out,

Harav Yechezkel risked his life to travel

from Kashau to Satumare to solicit a

brachia from the Satmar Rebbe. The

Rebbe treated him with great honor

and respect. After he left, the Rebbe

was said to have remarked, "Such

Hidden were to be found among the

talmidei Baal Shem Hakadosh:"

The War Years

Had he been given the chance,

Harav Yechezkel would have been

grateful to serve his Creator in peace

and serenity, but this was not his

destiny. The terrible storm that

descended on him in 1940 left him

grieving in its wake, mourning the

death of his wife and five children.

Yet amid the terrible angst and

turbulence, he merited to experience

open miracles. One such incident took

place on a Motzoei Shabbos at a

military recruiting office. Harav

Yechezkel had been called up to serve,

but because he had a hearing

impediment, his father accompanied

him to act as his interpreter.

While waiting on line, Harav

Yechezkel made Havdalah on some

wine and a candle that he had brought

from home. An anti-Semite who

witnessed this jumped at the

opportunity to inform on him to the

officers, claiming that Harav Yechezkel

was signaling the enemy. The officers

called him in and demanded to know

why he was celebrating with wine.

Harav Yechezkel insisted that it was

water. They tasted it ". and it was

water. He was released, and his

informant was scolded for giving false

information.

Another startling episode took place

when Harav Yechezkel stood in a train

station awaiting a train from

Niredyhausz to Satumare. A member of

the dreaded Sakasveszeta, the

Hungarian Secret Police, passed by and

noticed his beard. The policeman

mocked him, saying, "One can make a

broom from such a beard!"

Another startling episode took place

when Harav Yechezkel stood in a train

station awaiting a train from

Niredyhausz to Satumare. A member of

the dreaded Sakasveszeta, the

Hungarian Secret Police, passed by and

noticed his beard. The policeman

mocked him, saying, "One can make a

broom from such a beard!"

The tzaddik did not reply to the

insult. He calmed his fellow travelers,

assuring them there was no reason to

fear. Barely a few moments had passed

when the spiteful thug slipped on the

snow, breaking a few bones in the

process. He was transported to the

hospital in serious condition.

Throughout the war years, Harav

Yechezkel ate sparingly from his daily

meager portion of bread so that he

could save enough for two portions for

Shabbos to make the brachan on lechem

mishneh. He was sometimes seen

walking worriedly around the labor

camp on a Friday, asking, "Where does

one find fish for Shabbos?" And often

he could be found sitting alone and

learning aloud, with danger all around

him.

Rebuilding

With the guns of war finally

silenced, Harav Yechezkel set about

picking up the shattered pieces of his

life. He found his way to Budapest,

where many survivors had temporarily

settled. He married his worthy

Rebbetzin, a daughter of Rabbi Yaakov

Peretz Silberman and a granddaughter

of Harav Naftali Hertzka of Ratzfert.

Together they built a beautiful home

and raised a worthy generation of

eminent Rabbanim.

In Budapest, the door to Harav

Yechezkel's home was always open to

the many brokenhearted Jews who

came to share their troubles with this

compassionate tzaddik. His family and

followers were witness to wondrous

yeshuos that occurred.

As the Soviet Communists tightened

their grip over Hungary, the Jewish

refugees sought every possible means

of escape. In 1950, Harav Yechezkel

moved to Vienna, Austria, and in 1957,

he crossed the Atlantic and settled in

Williamsburg.

In his new surroundings, Harav

Yechezkel founded a shul where he

could pursue his devotions freely. Even

so, he saw nothing unusual about

leaving his own shul to daven in the

Satmar shul when he felt the need. In

his humility, he couldn't comprehend

why anyone would want to daven in his

shul. When a resident of Crown

Heights wanted to come to him for Yom

Tov, Harav Yechezkel asked the man,

"Have you no minyan closer to home?"

Harav Yechezkel's home was a well

known address for all who sought wise

counsel, soothing comfort, or spiritual

guidance. His advice ranged from the

practical to the seemingly mystical.

A woman once came to him with a

problem - her face sometimes swelled

so severely that she became

unrecognizable. Harav Yechezkel

advised her to eat grapefruit; she did,

and the swelling disappeared for good.

Another time, a man came in to

complain that he'd been hiccupping

ceaselessly for three weeks and nothing

helped. Harav Yechezkel told him to

drink three cups of tea without sugar. As

soon as he did, the hiccupping stopped.

When another man tried this remedy

on his own, it was not successful, and he

came to Harav Yechezkel to complain.

The tzaddik replied.,"] didn't instruct yau

to do it."

There are dozens of stories about how

Harav Yechezkel discreetly helped

people, using inexplicable strengths.

A Life of Torah

Harav Yechezkel's diligence in

learning grew over the years. He spent

countless hours bent over his beloved

tomes, and when fatigue threatened to

overtake him, he would sniff a pinch of

strong snuff that would invigorate him.

Despite his revered status, he could be

found conversing with youngsters in

learning, and he would race back and

forth to the sefarim shrank to look for the

sources he needed. His Torah thoughts

and chiddushim on sugyas of Shas are

recorded in the sefer Tiferes Yechezkel.

‘ He Hears What He Wants to Hear’

The Satmar Rebbe, the Divrei Yael,

zy" a, once entered his shul and heard

unusually loud voices. He asked his

gabbai what was going on, and the

gabbai explained that the Ziditchover

Rebbe was learning with Harav

Yechezkel Mertz, and because of the

latter's hearing difficulty, the

Ziditchover Rebbe had to raise his

voice. The Satmar Rebbe responded,

"He hears what he wants to hear ... "

Harav Yechezkel lived in his own

private world, purposely oblivious to

everything going on around him. He

took no interest in news or politics. His

ability to retreat into his own thoughts

came to the fore one bedikas chametz

night when a fire broke out in the

basement of his home. Pandemonium

reigned; firefighters rushed about

trying to extinguish the flames. The

only calm, unmoving figure was that

of Harav Yechezkel bent over his

shtender, oblivious to the din.

In the sefer Shiochei Tzaddik, Rabbi

Chaim Yaakov Deutch relates that he

was once outdoors late at night and

noticed Harav Yechezkel walking past.

"Rebbe," he called out, "Chazul state

that a Torah scholar should not walk

alone on the street at night" (Brachas

43:72).

"One who bonds with the Creator is

never alone!" Harav Yechezkel

responded.

On his third and final visit to

Brooklyn in 1958, the Vizhnitzer

Rebbe, the Imrei Chaim, zy" a, noticed

Harav Yechezkel at his tisch and

addressed him. "Reb Chezkele," he

said, "let us make a trade. I will give

you simchah and you will give me yiras

Shamayim,"

"It's good the way it is," Harav

Yechezkel responded.

Harav Yechezkel Mertz departed

this world while still in his prime, at

the age of 64. A massive crowd

attended his levayah. His father, Harav

Yoel Zussman, eulogized him, saying

"If he had lived to say one Kaddish for

me, I would be more at peace ... " (end)

_______________________________________________

One of Reb Yechezkele's impressive accomplishments was the founding of the Tolaas Yaakov bus line. This bus company

transports Yidden to their workplaces in Manhattan during the work week, enabling them to avoid the spiritual pitfalls

inherent in using public transportation. Harav Yechezkel invested much energy and vast sums of money to get this project off the

ground. People did not warm to the idea easily, and at first the company lost money.

One day, someone complained to Harav Yechezkel about the financial drain. The tzaddik walked over to the window and peered

out just as a city bus zoomed past. "Look at that," he remarked. "That bus runs punctually despite being only half full. We must

learn to do the same." His strong will eventually paid off. Today, packed Tolaas Yaakov buses operate daily between Williamsburg

and Manhattan. We must not neglect to mention Rabbi Chaim Klein, zt"l, who assisted Harav Yechezkel in starting the bus line.

______________________________________________

Harav Yechezkel acquainted himself

with all the Admorim of his

generation. His

relationship to

them was one of total humility and subservience.

Whenever a

Rebbe visited

Williamsburg for

Shabbos, Harav

Yechezkel would

try to attend his

tisch.

He would frequent the tischen of the

Satmar Rebbe, zy"a, mingling anonymously

with the crowd until the Rebbe detected

his presence and sat him in a place of

honor. One Motzoei Shabbos, the Rebbe

honored Harav Yechezkel by requesting

that he sing "Adon Kol Ha'olamos." It was

only then that Harav Yechezkel

remembered he had forgotten to sing it at

home, as he usually did. The Satmar Rebbe

had discerned the omission and gave him

the opportunity to keep his minhag.

Harav Yechezkel also visited the Rebbe

often with his personal questions. He once

asked if he should travel to Poland to daven

at kivrei tzaddikim. "lhr kent poi/en," the

Rebbe salilingly replied, using a play on the

Yiddish word for Poland.

In 1968, the Satmar Rebbe suffered a

stroke. Harav Yechezkel secluded himself

in his shul, fasting and davening on the

Rebbe's behalf. This went on for three

days, until he received news that the

Rebbe's: health had taken a turn for the

better. Only then did he break his fast on a

cup of coffee.

H a r a v Yechezkel drew close to

the Skverer Rebbe, Harav Yaakov Yosef Twersky, zt"l

whom he first, got to know in Budapest. The

Skverer Rebbe once said of him,

"He is a Yid who is moser nefesh every moment for

the Eibishter."

Harav Yechezkel spent a Shabbos in the

town of New Square, insisting on wearing

boots so as not to differ from the minhag hamakom.

For the first few years after the town's

establishment, drivers had a hard time

finding their way from New York City to

New Square. Harav Yechezkel's sense of

direction was poor, especially in suburban

areas, yet whenever he traveled to New

Square he was able to show his driver the

right route. Apparently, he was able to

sense a certain spirituality that emanated

from the town, and it guided him to the

correct location.

While still in Vienna, Harav Yechezkel

and ybl"ch, his son, Harav Chaim, visited

the Belzer Rav, Harav Aharon Rokeach,

zy"a. After they left the house, the Belzer

Rav sent a messenger after them to ask for

Harav Yechezkel's mother's name so that

he could have him in mind in his prayers.

______________________________________________

Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Mertz

Baal Tiferes Yechezkel

Niftar 9 Sivan, 1972

Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Mertz was highly regarded in the chassidisher world as an outstanding tzaddik. Being a close friend of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe, he was buried alongside the ohel (mausoleum) that was originally designated as the Satmar Rebbe’s intended burial place.

Washington Cemetery (Floral Park)

104 Deans Rhode Hall Rd

Monmouth Junction (Deans), NJ 08852

(Satmar Section, Ohel)

---

Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Mertz

Baal Tiferes Yechezkel

Niftar 9 Sivan, 1972

Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Mertz was highly regarded in the chassidisher world as an outstanding tzaddik. Being a close friend of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe, he was buried alongside the ohel (mausoleum) that was originally designated as the Satmar Rebbe’s intended burial place.

Washington Cemetery (Floral Park)

104 Deans Rhode Hall Rd

Monmouth Junction (Deans), NJ 08852

(Satmar Section, Ohel)

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