Rav Dovid had the bearing of an old-school baal mussar and a master educator
Prior to his untimely passing in 1972, Rav Dovid Kronglas served as the beloved mashgiach of Ner Israel in Baltimore, following his arrival in the United States after his wartime stay with Mir Yeshivah in Shanghai. In addition to his responsibilities as mashgiach, he delivered a daily blatt shiur and served in an unofficial capacity as the yeshivah’s posek.
Rav Dovid had the bearing of an old-school baal mussar and a master educator. Through his shmuessen and the personal connection he forged with his talmidim, he inculcated them with the mussar ideals of his upbringing, coupled with an understanding of modern day challenges. He earned the respect of the rosh yeshivah, Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, who gave the mashgiach considerable latitude in his educational approach. Rav Dovid was also remembered for his impassioned leading of the yeshivah’s Yamim Noraim davening, and some of his liturgical customs remain part of the standard Ner Israel nusach to this very day.
Rav Dovid Kronglas served as a bridge between his rebbi, the great Mir mashgiach Rav Yerucham Levovitz, and a new generation of yeshivah students. That role and mission would be symbolized by an incident that occurred not long after he began his position at Ner Israel.
Aside from trying to kill all the Jews of Europe, the Nazis also plundered their property, including financial assets, real estate, artworks, religious articles, and cultural heirlooms taken from libraries, archives, and museums. The Nazis wanted to collect material for an “Institute for the Investigation of the Jewish Question,” amassing warehouses of Jewish books and artifacts throughout Europe.
Create a free account to keep reading.
