The oldest chasid, Rabbi Yehuda Chitrick OBM has passed away

With much sadness we report to our readers; the oldest Lubavitcher, Rabbi Yehuda Chitrick passed away at the age of 106.

The Levaya will take place Wednesday morning starting at the Shomrey Hadas Chapel at 10:00 AM and will pass 770 at approximately 10:45 AM.

From COL.org.il:

Rabbi Yehudah Chitrik, ob’m, ‘the oldest Chabad Chossid’, was one of the few still alive today who had the privilege of seeing the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Rebbe Rashab.
Rabbi Yehudah Chitrik was born on Rosh Chodesh Elul, 5659 (1899) in a house that had no water or electricity in Krasanlok, a small Jewish town in Russia to a respectable and distinguished Chabad family with an ancestry stemming from the Alter Rebbe.

He absorbed his devotion and diligence in study in the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Lubavitch. When the yeshiva moved to Charkov, his ‘chavrusa’ (study partner) was the Rosh Yeshiva of the city, the Gaon Rabbi Yehudah Eber, הי’ד. At that time he had to flee the Communist government agents who pursued him for spreading Torah study, which was a violation of the government laws.

In the year 5686 he married the daughter of the Gaon, Rabbi Aharon Tumarkin, then the chief Rabbi of Charkov, and he acquired a position as shochet until the the government shut down the kosher slaughter house. In the following years he went through indescribable hardships in his efforts to maintain a Chassidic spirit in his home and in his community with his immense knowledge and his personal example, despite the danger of communist oppression and the threat of Nazi invasion during World War Two. Following the raging war, he moved with his family to Antwerp, Belgium while his intention was to continue from there to the U.S., however, the Rebbe Rayatz, who was well acquainted with his extraordinary personality, asked him to stay in Belgium in order to disseminate yiddishkeit and Chassidic warmth among the hoards of war survivors that arrived to the country.

Eventually, Rabbi Chitrik moved with his family to Montreal, Canada, where he was appointed mashpia in the local Tomchei Temimim yeshiva, one of the oldest Jewish institutes in the country. In the 70’s Rabbi Chitrik moved to Brooklyn, New York and resided in Crown Heights. In honor of his 105th birthday, President George Bush sent him a letter of blessings and good washings adding that the American nation is thankful to him for his outstanding heritage of mercy, patriotism, hope and responsibility and that his great achievements are a source inspiration for others. Family members say that just after he read the letter, Rabbi Chitrik immediately resumed his studies.

In Chabad circles, Rabbi Chitrik was known for his great love for Chassidic stories and was considered a ‘walking encyclopedia of Chassidic stories’. During his studies in Lubavitch, his affluent grandfather rented a room for him in a local lodging, at which several elderly Chassidim would stay when they arrived to Lubavitch. It was by joining their farbrengens that he had acquired his great knowledge and love for Chassidic stories. His family members testify that his outstanding memory allows him to relate a single story after 50 years with all the details involved.

In the small room he resided in the home of his son in Crown Heights during his last years, bookshelves were filled with books whose pages were yellow with age.
Rabbi Chitrik was survived by four children, 18 grandchildren, and over 100 great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, many of whom serve as Shluchim, Rabbis of communities in the U.S., Germany, Israel, Ukraine and Uruguay.