Yaakov Yechezkiya Greenwald


Ya'akov Yechezkiya Greenwald was the rabbi of the Etz Chaim community in Pápa, Hungary, and the rosh yeshiva there. He was the predecessor of the Pupa Hasidic dynasty.

Early life

Yaakov Yechezkiya Greenwald was born in Csorna to Moshe Grunwald, rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Khust, and author of several works, each entitled Arugas Habosem. Although Yaakov
Yechezkiya’s father was not born into a chassidic family, he had gravitated towards the Shiniva and Belzer rebbes and had taken his son on his many visits to those rebbes. Yaakov Yechezkiya studied under his father until his marriage. In 1900 he married his cousin Sara Rivkah Brown, daughter of Yisrael Menachem Braun, who was the Av Beis Din of Brezovitz.

Career

In 1906 Greenwald was appointed Rabbi of Likov. In 1912 he was appointed rabbi of Tzehlem, replacing his uncle Eliezer David Greenwald, author of Keren Ledovid, who became rabbi of Ober-Vishova. In 1924 he became rabbi of Hunyad and headed a yeshiva in the city.
In 1929, Yaakov Yechezkiya was chosen as rabbi of Pápa, Hungary. He established a yeshiva there which soon numbered 300 students, and became one of the largest and most important Hungarian yeshivas.
Greenwald was a Belz hasid and sent many of his disciples to Belz.
Greenwald died in 1941 and was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Pápa, where he was succeeded by his son, Yosef Greenwald, as Rabbi of the Etz Chaim community in Pápa and as rosh yeshiva.

Descendants