Michoel Fisher
Encyclopedia
Dayan Michoel Fisher was a distinguished Orthodox
rabbi, orator and exceptional Talmud
ic scholar, with complete mental mastery of the entire Talmud.
, Dayan Fisher was the seventh of fourteen children born to the professional fundraiser of the Grodno yeshiva
. He claimed to have shared a bench in the Grodno Cheder
with Meyer Lansky
.
It is no exaggeration to state that Dayan Fisher studied under the most illustrious institutions and figures of his generation. He was a pupil of the renowned Rabbi Shimon Shkop
in Grodno yeshiva, as well as Rabbi Boruch Ber Leibowitz in Kamenetz yeshiva. Dayan Fisher went to Radin yeshiva in his late teens, serving the world-famous Chofez Chaim
as carer and personal assistant and was one of a select group who prayed daily in his house. He also studied in Białystok yeshiva and under Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski
of Vilna. In 1930 Dayan Fisher went to Mir yeshiva
, staying for six years.
in 1936, where he rapidly acquired a name as an impressive speaker in the "Litvishe" (Lithuanian Jewish) style. He married Sarah Miriam Wloski of Łomża in June 1937, whose father worked as a Shochet in England, following her to England the same year through the rescue efforts of Rabbi Dr Solomon Schonfeld
. Dayan Fisher thus escaped the impending Holocaust
, yet his entire family was wiped out except for a younger brother who escaped from the Warsaw Ghetto
and joined the partisans
.
When Rabbi Fisher arrived in England, the Federation of Synagogues, with some 68 affiliated synagogues, was the largest synagogal body in the United Kingdom, serving some 50,000 souls. He became Rabbi of the Alie Street Federation synagogue in London's East End
in 1939. In 1940, he took over as Rabbi of Yavne synagogue in Hackney
, which he led until 1970.
In 1966, Dayan Fisher formed the Federation Beis Din
, which he built up into a significant and respected force. As a result of his numerous communal activities and in recognition of his phenomenal Talmudic scholarship, Dayan Fisher became the "Rav Rashi" of the Federation of Synagogues in 1969 following Rabbi Dr Eliezer Kirzner. Upon his retirement in 1980, he retained the post with the addition of the appellation "emeritus".
Dayan Fisher moved with his wife to Edgware
in the 1970s, where they became well-known and popular figures. His wife's death in 1987 was a severe blow, yet he continued to speak and teach for the next decade and a half, well into his 90s.
Serving as the Chairman of the Federation of Synagogues Rabbinate for many years, Dayan Fisher's relationship with Federation lay leaders was not always happy. He felt that he and his rabbinic colleagues were often mistreated and undervalued by their constituents, who didn’t recognise the tremendous talent and knowledge of their Rabbis.
Although unbending in his firm old-world Orthodoxy, he was always courteous to those with different views and practices. An ardent religious supporter of Israel
, he was a senior figure in UK Mizrachi for many years, and visited Israel often. Dayan Fisher died on January 7, 2004 in London, survived by two daughters, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. One son-in-law is Elkan Levy, ex-president of the United Synagogue
.
In later life, Dayan Fisher remarked that in retrospect, he was not 'cut out' for the Rabbinate, but rather as a teacher, scholar and educator. He liked nothing better than teaching and learning Talmud. In a eulogy, Dayan Fisher was described by Dayan Lichtenstein, current head of the Federation Beth Din, as a great Talmudic scholar. "He studied the Torah every time as if he were learning it for the first time... The Torah not only brought him his great status but also gave him his youthfulness". Chief Rabbi
Sir Jonathan Sacks
said in tribute, "Dayan Michoel Fisher was one of the great links between Anglo-Jewry and the world of Lithuania
n Jewish piety".
Dayan Fisher published Ateres Mordechai, a commentary to Pirkei Avos in London in 1953.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
rabbi, orator and exceptional Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic scholar, with complete mental mastery of the entire Talmud.
Early years
Born sometime between 1908 and 1912; he was always unsure of his date of birth; in Grodno, then Imperial RussiaRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, Dayan Fisher was the seventh of fourteen children born to the professional fundraiser of the Grodno yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
. He claimed to have shared a bench in the Grodno Cheder
Cheder
A Cheder is a traditional elementary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.-History:...
with Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
.
It is no exaggeration to state that Dayan Fisher studied under the most illustrious institutions and figures of his generation. He was a pupil of the renowned Rabbi Shimon Shkop
Shimon Shkop
Shimon Yehuda Hakohen Shkop was a rosh yeshiva in the Yeshiva Shaar Hatorah and in the Telshe yeshiva and a renowned Talmudic scholar. He was born in Torez in 1860. At the age of twelve he went to study in the Mir yeshiva, and at fifteen he went to Volozhin yeshiva where he studied six years...
in Grodno yeshiva, as well as Rabbi Boruch Ber Leibowitz in Kamenetz yeshiva. Dayan Fisher went to Radin yeshiva in his late teens, serving the world-famous Chofez Chaim
Yisrael Meir Kagan
Yisrael Meir Poupko , known popularly as The Chofetz Chaim, was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life...
as carer and personal assistant and was one of a select group who prayed daily in his house. He also studied in Białystok yeshiva and under Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski
Chaim Ozer Grodzinski
Chaim Ozer Grodzinski was a pre-eminent Av beis din , posek , and Talmudic scholar in Vilnius, Lithuania in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
of Vilna. In 1930 Dayan Fisher went to Mir yeshiva
Mir yeshiva (Poland)
The Mir yeshiva , commonly known as the Mirrer Yeshiva or The Mir, was a Haredi yeshiva located in the town of Mir, Russian Empire...
, staying for six years.
Rabbinical career
Dayan Fisher was appointed Rabbi of a small shul in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
in 1936, where he rapidly acquired a name as an impressive speaker in the "Litvishe" (Lithuanian Jewish) style. He married Sarah Miriam Wloski of Łomża in June 1937, whose father worked as a Shochet in England, following her to England the same year through the rescue efforts of Rabbi Dr Solomon Schonfeld
Solomon Schonfeld
Rabbi Dr Solomon Schonfeld was a British rabbi who is heralded as one of the most remarkable, yet least known of the Holocaust heroes.Schonfeld studied at the yeshiva in Nitra, Slovakia...
. Dayan Fisher thus escaped the impending Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, yet his entire family was wiped out except for a younger brother who escaped from the Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
and joined the partisans
Jewish partisans
Jewish partisans were fighters in irregular military groups participating in the Jewish resistance movement against Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II....
.
When Rabbi Fisher arrived in England, the Federation of Synagogues, with some 68 affiliated synagogues, was the largest synagogal body in the United Kingdom, serving some 50,000 souls. He became Rabbi of the Alie Street Federation synagogue in London's East End
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
in 1939. In 1940, he took over as Rabbi of Yavne synagogue in Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, which he led until 1970.
In 1966, Dayan Fisher formed the Federation Beis Din
Beth din
A beth din, bet din, beit din or beis din is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel...
, which he built up into a significant and respected force. As a result of his numerous communal activities and in recognition of his phenomenal Talmudic scholarship, Dayan Fisher became the "Rav Rashi" of the Federation of Synagogues in 1969 following Rabbi Dr Eliezer Kirzner. Upon his retirement in 1980, he retained the post with the addition of the appellation "emeritus".
Dayan Fisher moved with his wife to Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
in the 1970s, where they became well-known and popular figures. His wife's death in 1987 was a severe blow, yet he continued to speak and teach for the next decade and a half, well into his 90s.
Serving as the Chairman of the Federation of Synagogues Rabbinate for many years, Dayan Fisher's relationship with Federation lay leaders was not always happy. He felt that he and his rabbinic colleagues were often mistreated and undervalued by their constituents, who didn’t recognise the tremendous talent and knowledge of their Rabbis.
Although unbending in his firm old-world Orthodoxy, he was always courteous to those with different views and practices. An ardent religious supporter of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, he was a senior figure in UK Mizrachi for many years, and visited Israel often. Dayan Fisher died on January 7, 2004 in London, survived by two daughters, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. One son-in-law is Elkan Levy, ex-president of the United Synagogue
United Synagogue
United Synagogue is an organisation of London Jews that was founded with the sanction of an Act of Parliament, in 1870. , it remains the largest religious grouping within the British Jewish community and indeed in Europe, covering 62 Orthodox Jewish communities...
.
Scholarship and intellect
Dayan Fisher was an intellectually brilliant figure, possessing a photographic memory and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Talmud and other Rabbinic texts. He knew the 7000 pages of the Talmud by heart, word for word, and could provide the page, line and exact wording for any Talmudic reference instantly. He was also an inspiring orator, erudite, humorous, thought provoking and possessing great wit.In later life, Dayan Fisher remarked that in retrospect, he was not 'cut out' for the Rabbinate, but rather as a teacher, scholar and educator. He liked nothing better than teaching and learning Talmud. In a eulogy, Dayan Fisher was described by Dayan Lichtenstein, current head of the Federation Beth Din, as a great Talmudic scholar. "He studied the Torah every time as if he were learning it for the first time... The Torah not only brought him his great status but also gave him his youthfulness". Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
Sir Jonathan Sacks
Jonathan Sacks
Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks, Kt is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. His Hebrew name is Yaakov Zvi...
said in tribute, "Dayan Michoel Fisher was one of the great links between Anglo-Jewry and the world of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n Jewish piety".
Dayan Fisher published Ateres Mordechai, a commentary to Pirkei Avos in London in 1953.