Monsey Scoop regrets to inform the community of the petirah of Rabbi Naftali Weinstein z”l, a Holocaust survivor and devoted Lubavitcher Chosid, who was niftar Thursday night, at the age of 90.
Rabbi Weinstein z”l served as the Rov of Kehilas Nusach Ari (Chabad) on Viola Road for more than four decades, where he was known for his warmth, dedication to chinuch, and lifelong commitment to hafatzas haTorah and Chassidus.
Born in Antwerp, Belgium, Rabbi Weinstein z”l survived the horrors of the Holocaust. As a young boy, he was zoche to have yechidus and receive a bracha from the Frierdiker Rebbe prior to his Bar Mitzvah, and later merited many kiruvim from the Rebbe. These encounters deeply shaped his life’s mission and avodah.
Rabbi Weinstein leaves behind a rich legacy as a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Sherry Weinstein, and his sons: Rabbi Zev Weinstein of Hallandale, FL; Rabbi Yair Weinstein of Far Rockaway, NY; Rabbi Aryeh Weinstein, shliach in Newtown, PA; Rabbi Avi Weinstein, COO of Chabad on Campus; Rabbi Noach Weinstein of Crown Heights, NY; and Sruli Weinstein of Boca Raton, FL.
The levaya took place Friday morning, passing by Chabad HQ – 770 in Crown Heights at approximately 10:15 a.m., and continued to Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, near the Ohel, where the kevurah was held. In accordance with the family’s wishes, there were no hespedim.
Baruch Dayan HaEmes…..
RABBI NAFTALI WEINSTEIN WAS A PERSON WHO HAD A WONDERFUL DISPOSITION. HE HAD THE GIFT OF MEETING PEOPLE IN
THEIR OWN UNIQUENESS. GIVEN THE HARDSHIPS OF HIS EARLY LIFE IN ANTWERP, VICHY FRANCE, AND ITALY HE LEARNED THAT
EVEN THE MOST SEVERE TRIALS COULD BE MET WITH FORTITUDE AND SOLIDARITY WITH OTHERS. HE LEARNED TRUST COULD WITHSTAND CIRCUMSTANCES THAT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERCOME. A MAN WITH GREAT, GOOD HUMOR LIVED TO SEE HIS OWN MOTHER FROM WHOM HE HAD BEEN SEPARATED IN THE LAST YEARS OF THE WAR. HE HAD BEEN ONE OF THE 970 SOULS WHO WERE TAKEN TO FT. OSWEGO, IN NY. HE DISLIKED CONFLICT OF ANY KIND. STILL, HE MADE THE BEST OF WHERE HE WAS AND FROM THERE MANAGED TO BEGIN HIS FORMAL EDUCATION. OVERCOMING MANY HARDSHIPS AND OBSTACLES, HE SHOWED OTHERS HOW THEY COULD DO THE SAME. HE ENJOYED A BOUNTIFUL MARRIAGE AND SERVED AS A FAITHFUL FRIEND TO HIS CONGREGANTS, NEIGHBORS, AND VIRTUALLY ANYONE WHO SOUGHT HIM OUT. HE WAS ESPECIALLY GOOD WITH PEOPLE WHO FELT THEMSELVES AS ‘OUTSIDERS’. HE RECOGNIZED THAT WE WERE ALL ‘OUTSIDERS’ AS HE HAD BEEN. EVERYONE WAS WARMLY WELCOMED AND SUSTAINED BY HIS GOODNESS. THE PEOPLE OF ROCKLAND COUNTY WERE DEEPLY ENRICHED BY HIS PRESENCE AND MOST FORTUNATE TO HAVE KNOWN HIM. HE WILL NOT SOON BE FORGOTTEN.
RICHARD I. SUGARMAN, EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT