R' Shalom Krausz, A.B.D. Udvari

http://www.hamodia.com/inthepaper.cfm?ArticleID=759

HaGaon Reb Shalom Krausz, Av Beis Din of Udvari, perhaps the last of today’s rabbonim who held a rabbanus before the war. Rav Shalom Krausz, the Udvari Rov was the author of the seven-volume Divrei Shalom and was greatly respected and in Williamsburg where he resided and elsewhere in the Torah world.

The Rov, who was 93, was a survivor of the Nazi atrocities during World War II and subsequently spent over 70 years in rabbonus. He served as the head of the Bais Horaah of the Hisachdus Harabbonim after being appointed to that role by the Satmar Rov zt”l.

The Rov was a son of Rav Shmuel Dovid Krausz zt”l the Udvari Rov and a grandson of Rav Dovid Avrohom Moshe Krausz zt”l, the rabbonim of Udvar.

He was a son-in-law of Rav Yisroel Avrohom Alter Landau zt”l, the Edelener Rov and author of Bais Yisroel, who, in turn, was a son of Rav Shalom Landau zt”l, the Volover Dayan, and a son-in-law of the legendary Rav Yeshayele Steiner zt”l, the Kerestirer Rebbe.

R’ Krausz, the Udvari Rov, the author of ten seforim, was widely respected and served in the rabbanus for 74 years.

R’ Krausz was born in Ratzsert, Hungary on the 27th day of Iyar, 1917 and had the zchus to have the previous Belzer Rebbe as sandek at his bris.  R’ Krausz traveled in his youth to Udvari where his father became the Rov and was only 20 years old when his father was niftar at the age of 44 after contracting pneumonia while toiveling himself in a very cold mikvah. 

While R’ Krausz was still an unmarried bochur, the Sanzer Rov son R’ Shalom Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzfert zt’l insisted that he be named successor to his father.  He became a chosson soon after, marrying the daughter of the Eidlin Rov and granddaughter of R’ Yeshayele Kastirer, naming the Beis Medrash in Udvari for Reb Yeshayele.

In 1944 R’ Krausz was taken with a group of people including the Satmar Rebbe Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum to Bergen Belsen where his older daughter was born.  After surviving Bergen Belsen, R’ Krausz went first to Switzerland then to America.  Every year, the Satmar Rebbe and R’ Krausz celebrated their salvation from the Nazis together on the 21st day of Kislev.

After coming to New York, R’ Krausz purchased the Udvari Beis Medrash on Rutledge Street, where it stands now, some 60 years later.  R’ Krausz had a yeshiva as well, for approximately ten years where he gave semicha and spent thousands of hours teaching many young rabbonim how to become dayanim and how to pasken.  R’ Krausz was appointed head of the Hisachdus Harabonim by the Satmar Rebbe, who at the same time gave him the bracha of arichus yomim.

R’ Krausz was close with R’ Moshe Feinstein, the Satmar Rebbe, R’Aron Kotler and the Skulener Rebbe.  He was widely respected and considered by many to be one of the biggest poskim in the United States. 

Countless din torahs were held in his beis din and his responsa were complied into a seven volume set entitled “Divrei Shalom”.  R’ Krausz was also instrumental in the completion of the Williamsburg Eruv, a project that had been started by his brother, the R’ Anshel Krausz, with the brocha of the Satmar Rebbe but remained unfinished after R’ Anshel Krausz’ petira.

R’ Krausz had three children, but was zoche to see many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Many of his grandchildren are respected rabbonim in their own right and R’ Krausz was a mechutan to the Vishnitzer and Skverer Rebbes fifteen times.

“He had a special zikaron, he never forgot anything,” recalled his nephew, R’ Israel Krausz in an exclusive interview with VIN News. “He was very beloved.  Everyone came to him and he was always very friendly.  He was going to simchos, saying drashas and very famous to all.  He was a special ba’al tefillah and ba’al darshan and authored many chiddushim.”

http://www.vosizneias.com/69308/2010/11/22/brooklyn-ny-jewish-commu...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYDmJ-QurUs&feature=player_embedded

YouTube Video: Jewish Community Mourn The Loss Of One Of The Oldest Rabbonim In Williamsburg

http://matzav.com/the-udavri-rov-rav-shalom-krausz-ztl