Help me find more information.
Reb Shmuel Levy (he called himself Simon Levi in the US) (1854?-1923) was born in Drohitchen, (or possibly Antopol 16 miles to the west) both in Belarus, the son of Abraham and Rose? Levy. I have also learned that the family name had been Lev, rather than Levy or Levi. I don’t yet know the significance of that, but will look into it. He had several siblings ( Golda, Meyer and Isaac) that I have just discovered recently. He came to the US (Chicago) in order to raise money for his guest house and sundial building in the middle of old Jerusalem. He was married to Chana Ita Gratch (1856-1922). She did not travel to the US with him, but stayed in Jerusalem. He spent so much time in the US, that when he finally came to Jerusalem, he was not sure where his family lived and had to ask. Shmuel was 6 feet tall with blue eyes. He died of cancer, in his home on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem, 9 January, 1923. He was buried on the Mount of Olives.
Above maps from Hap Panedol’s incredible website: Topographic Maps of Eastern Europe – An Atlas of the Shtetl
No. 7731 Issued Mch 1/94
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
State of Illinois
County of Cook
I, Simon Levi a naturalized and loyal citizen of the United States, do hereby apply to the Department of State at Washington for a passport for myself. In support of the above application, I do solemnly swear that I was born at ? Divischin (Drohitchin), in Russia, on or about the 7th day of September, 1856; that I emigrated to the United States, sailing on board the Suevia from Hamburg, on or about the 15th day of Febry, 1887; that I resided 7 years, uninterruptedly, in the United States, from 1888 to 1894, at Chicago; that I was naturalized as a citizen of the United States before theSuperior Court of Cook Co, at Chicago, on the 2nd day of April, 1893, as shown by the accompanying Certificate of Naturalization; that I am the IDENTICAL PERSON described in said Certificate; that I am domiciled in the United States, my permanent residence being at Chicago, in the State of Ills. where I follow the occupation of tailor; that I am about to go abroad temporarily; and that i intend to return to the United States within two years with the purpose of residing and performing the duties of citizenship therein.
OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.
Further, I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion: SO HELP ME GOD.
Sworn to before me this 27th day Simon Levi (signature in Yiddish)
of febry, 1894.
Signiture of Notary Public
Description of Applicant
– Age 38 years
– Stature, 6 feet…..inches, Eng.
– Forehead, broad
– Eyes, blue
– Nose, regular
– Mouth, regular
– Chin, full beard
– Hair, dark brown
– Complexion, light
– Face, oval
IDENTIFICATION.
Chicago, Feb 22, 1894
I hereby certify that I know the above-named Simon Levi personally, and know him to be the identical person referred to in the within-described Certificate of Naturalization, and that the facts stated in his affidavit are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Alexander Kopperle 569 So. Canal St.
Applicant desires passport sent to following address:
S. Jaffe
c/o A Kopperl
569 So Canal st.
Chicago, Ills.
And to —- together(?)
that which I carved in life
Shmuel (Samuel) son of Avraha(m)
The founder of the great synagogue A—
Tiferet Z(ion)
Yerushalayim (Jeruazalem) and Beit Hamidrash
and behold these are Died 21 Tevet 5–
may his soul be bound in the bonds of (eternal) life
—Translated from the Hebrew by David Dubin and Jacob Shayzaf
These timelines are a research tool for me to work out the mysteries and details of an individual’s life, but there are lots of interesting details for you to explore. If you would like to view images more closely, click on the image and use the magnifying glass icon to zoom into the document.
R. Shmuel Lev, a Talmudic scholar and community leader, was born in 1856 in Drohitchin. In his youth, he studied under the great scholar, R. Pinchas Michel of Antapolia, and after his wedding, R. Shmuel settled in Antapolia and went into business. Later he returned to Drohitchin, where he taught Torah classes to the community.
When his children grew up, he decided to travel to Palestine. It is told that the great rabbis Eliezer Moshe (Pinsk), Pinchas Michael (Antapolia), and Mordechaileh of Buten told him to visit the United States before traveling to Palestine. R. Shmuel Lev therefore traveled on to Chicago, where he established a Talmud study group at the Agudath Achim-Anshei Drohitchin in memory of Rabbi Lesser. From Chicago, R. Shmuel went on to Paris, where he established a Talmud study group and a Chayei Adam study group in memory of Rabbi Labetsky. He then traveled on to Jerusalem, and with the assistance of Max Neiten, a philanthropist in Chicago, he purchased a large estate of houses, where he set up a visitor’s hostel for rabbinic scholars, an orphanage called Tiferet Zion Ve-Yerushalayim, as well as a synagogue called Zoharei Chama for old-timers who always prayed at sunrise. R. Shmuel devoted his whole life to this huge project, and dozens of scholars and lonely children were supported with everything they needed in these houses. Together with Rabbi Chaim David Spitzer, R. Shmuel was able to obtain support from the United States government for his charitable undertakings through the offices of the American consulate in Jerusalem.
Years later , when he came to New York on a visit, he established a Tiferet Zion Ve-Yerusahlayim Society, as well as the Yshiva Torah Mi-Zion in Brownsville, Brooklyn. R. Shmuel died in Jerusalem on 21 Tevet 5683 (January 9), 1923.
At the end of his life R. Shmuel was sick (paralyzed) and he stayed in the bed at the corner of the large room. There was a window in the wall through it he could listen to and participate in the prayers. (This window is sealed now, but its remains can still be located in the wall.)
Cross through the open market at Rehov Mahaneh Yehuda or the enclosed market on Rehov Etz Hayim to reach Jaffa Road. Turn right and stop across from the historic structure at No. 92: Jerusalem’s first skyscraper. The force behind this lofty building was American immigrant Rabbi Shmuel Levi, who constructed the three-story edifice at the beginning of the 20th century. Over the years it grew from three to five stories and was known for its hospitality to indigent pilgrims. On the fourth floor was the Zoharei Hama Synagogue, frequented by the venerated Arye Levin, the spiritual father to Hagana members imprisoned in Jerusalem’s British jail. What makes this building so famous is its huge sundial. Moshe Shapiro, a rabbi from Mea She’arim who taught himself astronomy, put it up in 1908. Before its construction, haredim would climb the Mount of Olives and the slopes of the Bayit Vagan neighborhood to determine the exact hours of sunrise and sunset. The tower on the fourth floor tumbled down during an earthquake in 1927. Fourteen years later, a short circuit in the building caused a fire. The fifth story burnt down and the synagogue below was badly damaged. The facade was restored and the sundial reconstructed in 1980. Two clocks on the front of the building were used in winter: One showed “European time” and the other showed halachic Jerusalem time. Women aren’t allowed inside Zoharei Hama, an extremely modest synagogue where services take place throughout the day. Worshipers are a fascinating fusion of ages, backgrounds and ethnic groups, participating in afternoon prayers on the first floor (and rushing to get through them before sunset), then climbing to the second floor where evening services take place. Prayers are not the only sounds that resonate from this historic synagogue. It is from Zoharei Hama that the sirens blast in Jerusalem, letting residents of the holy city know that it is time to light the Shabbat candles.
R Shmuel Levy’s granddaughter was married on the day he died. She was Simke Rochel Goldstein, the daughter of Chai Sarah Levy and Chaim David Goldstein and her betrothed was Yoskoel Zelig Vilimovsky. The wedding took place near to the Zoharei Chama, probably on Jaffa Street. Shmuel’s youngest daughter, Pnina (Pearl) was with him at his deathbed. He asked her “What time is the wedding?”. She said it was in the afternoon. He replied “It is so hard to wait”. In the afternoon, Pnina left him briefly, and stepped onto the balcony from where she could see the wedding taking place. When she returned, he had died.
Workers in the city had regular hours and set aside time for prayer and study of Torah. Rav Samuel Levi, a tailor who had come to Jerusalem from the United States, established a center for workers where they could come to pray and learn. The study leader was Rav Zaul Spitzer (z’l). Rav Samuel (see above) also founded a reception center for guests on Jaffa Road in the Machaneh Yehudah neighborhood, opposite the Etz Hayim Talmud Torah, in a high, four or five story, building called “HaMigdal”. At its top was a synagogue named “Zaharei Hamah” (The Beams of the Sun), in which those praying did so by sunlight entering through the east-facing windows of the synagogue. He also set up on the facade of the building a series of sundials in order to determine prayer times exactly. This building is still standing today. The reception
center is managed by the grandsons of the founder and on the first floor the center serves those coming and going in the central area next to Machane Yehuda.
The efforts of Rav Samuel Levi lead to the construction of Nathan’s Houses, named after a Jewish philanthropist from the United States, near the Shomrei Homot area (Hungarian) to the north of Meah Shearim, to serve as a residence for those lacking work.
