Rabbi Yehoshua Safrin, the Kamarna-Manhattan Rebbe, passed away Sunday in the United States at age 91.
Born in the town of Ungvar (in present-day Ukraine), Rabbi Safrin was the son of Rabbi Chaim Yaakov of Kamarna, author of "Beit Avot" and "Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach." His grandfather was Rabbi Eliezer Tzvi of Kamarna, and he was a great-grandson of Rabbi Yitzchak Eizik of Kamarna, founder of the Kamarna Hasidic dynasty and author of the foundational work "Heichal HaBracha."
He married the daughter of Rabbi Moshe Menachem Rozler.
For decades, Rabbi Safrin maintained his residence in Manhattan, New York, where he led his Hasidic followers. Beyond his spiritual leadership, he became known as a major philanthropist, particularly for institutions affiliated with the Ger Hasidic movement both in Israel and abroad.
Rabbi Safrin also provided substantial funding for the renovation and restoration of the historic Kamarna synagogue on Malchei Yisrael Street in Jerusalem's Geula neighborhood. The shul was originally established by his father and became widely known in the community by its nickname "Kamarna - Mifal HaPais" (a reference to the national lottery).
The funeral procession departed Sunday morning at 11:00 AM local time from the Shomrei Hadas funeral home in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn. His body will be flown to Israel for burial.
May his memory be a blessing.
