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Comments (0)The Bostoner rebbe, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak Horowitz, the first American-born Chasidic leader, has died.
Horowitz died Saturday following a heart attack over the summer from which he never fully recovered. He was 88.
Horowitz was born in Boston and led his family’s Chasidic dynasty since 1944. He began splitting his time between Boston and Israel after establishing a center in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood in 1984. Another center for younger followers was founded in Beitar Illit in 1999.
The rabbi was known for his outreach to college students in the Boston area. He was the founder of the Rofeh International Organization, which provides referrals to medical specialists around the world, as well as hospitality and kosher meals to patients in the Boston area.
In 1943, Horowitz marched to Washington to ask President Franklin D. Roosevelt to save the Jews of Europe from Hitler. In 1995 he came out strongly against the Gaza evacuation and visited the communities slated for destruction to offer his support.
He was buried Saturday night in the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
Horowitz is survived by his second wife and five children.
Orthodox Boxer Salita Falls in Title Bout
American Jewish boxer Dmitriy Salita was stopped 1:16 into his World Boxing Association light-welterweight championship bout.
Champion Amir Khan, a Muslim of Pakistani descent, floored the unbeaten Salita twice Saturday night before the referee halted the match in Newcastle, England. Salita, who sported a Star of David on his trunks, also took a standing-eight count.
Salita, an Orthodox Jew, studies at a Chabad yeshiva in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Salita, 27, came in as a heavy underdog despite a 30-0-1 record and being the No. 1 contender for the crown. He was knocked down 10 seconds into the fight, took the eight count after another shot, then was sent to the canvas again before referee Luis Pabon of Puerto Rico stepped in after 76 seconds.
Obama Signs Embassy Waiver
President Obama has extended a waiver for an additional six months delaying the move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
It is the second time Obama has extended the waiver during his term, and follows in the footsteps of predecessors Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, who also extended the waiver every six months since the law was adopted in 1995 calling for the move of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Presidents are permitted to delay the move on national security grounds.
Some Jewish groups have pushed for the United States to move the embassy as a way to bolster Israeli claims to the city. Those favoring the use of the waiver say that such a step would anger the Arab world and put the United States in the position of taking sides on an issue that should be settled in peace talks.