Tragic Passing of Rav Yitzchak Kalman, Z”L, at 85 in Tverya Hot Springs

The Jewish community is mourning the tragic loss of Rav Yitzchak Kalman, Z”L, an 85-year-old revered educator and resident of Jerusalem’s Bayit Vegan neighborhood, who drowned in a pool at the Chamei Tverya hot springs in northern Israel. Rav Kalman, the esteemed director of the Har Nof Beis Ulpana Kiruv school for Russian immigrant girls, had traveled north to pray at the Kever Harashbi in Meron, spending Shabbos nearby before the incident occurred in the afternoon. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts by MDA and Hatzalah paramedics, medical teams were unable to revive him, and his death was pronounced at the scene, as reported by Yeshiva World News and Matzav.com. Levaya details are pending and will be shared when available.

Born in Budapest, Hungary, Rav Kalman survived the Holocaust, which claimed his parents’ lives, arriving in Israel as an orphan with his siblings and aunt. His life was marked by a profound commitment to others, shaped by a pivotal moment during the 1967 Six-Day War when, caught in heavy crossfire near Armon HaNetziv, he vowed to dedicate himself to helping others if he survived. True to his promise, Rav Kalman and his wife, Rivka, שתחי’, founded the Har Nof Ulpana, initially in a modest Bayit Vegan apartment, to educate Soviet immigrant girls in Yiddishkeit. The institution grew into a respected beacon of Torah learning in Har Nof.

Rav Kalman was a beloved figure, known for his chessed, opening his home to immigrants and ba’alei teshuvah. He maintained close ties with the Amshinover Rebbe Shlit’a, served as a gabbai to the Ribnitzer Rebbe Zatzal during his 1972-73 visits to Israel, and was among the first students of the Imrei Sofer, Z”L. He was also connected to the Erlau Rebbes and was the younger brother of HaGaon HaTzaddik Rav Pinchas Kalman, Z”L, a neighbor of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Z”L, until his passing in 2020. Rav Yitzchak leaves behind a legacy of dor yesharim; sons, daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who continue his mission of Torah and kindness.