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With great sadness and shock we inform you of the passing of Rabbi Yitzchok Zirkind, caring husband and father and respected Rov in our community, at the age of 57. Rabbi Zirkind served as a bookkeeper for Beis Rivka for many years, and was known for his kindness and genuine concern for all those around him.

Boruch Dayan Ho’emes: Rabbi Yitzchok Zirkind OBM

With great sadness and shock we inform you of the passing of Rabbi Yitzchok Zirkind, caring husband and father and respected Rov in our community, at the age of 57. Rabbi Zirkind served as a bookkeeper for Beis Rivka for many years, and was known for his kindness and genuine concern for all those around him.

R’ Yitzchok is survived by his wife, Shterna; his parents: Eliezer and Raizel; and his children: Yehuda Ber, Sholom, Bryna, Nechama Dina Mileki (Crown Heights), Menachem Mendel, Aidale, Levi, Chaya Mushka and Yosef.

He is survived as well by his siblings: Yehoshua Shlomo, Gershon (Montreal, Canada), Shaina Rochel Schmidt, Shaza”k (Crown Heights), Yaakov Mendel (Morristown, NJ), Yehuda Michoel (Crown Heights), Shmuel Yosef, Meir (Weston, FL), Chana Rissel Moscowitz (Crown Heights), Chaim Nachman, Dovid (Crown Heights) and Chinka Zirkind (Thornhill, Ontario).

His passing was a great shock to his family, colleagues and friends, all of whom are reeling from the sad news.

We reached out to Rabbi Shlomo Segal, with whom he served answering sha’alos in the Crown Heights Beis Din, to share a few words about his longtime friend and colleague, but he was too distraught and heartbroken to speak.

The Levaya will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, and will be leaving from the Shomrei Hadas Chapel at 10:00am and passing by 770 at around 10:45pm.

Boruch Dayan Ho’emes

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51 Comments

  • so sad

    He died for our sins. Such a special Person.
    Hashem should comfort gis lo=ving family

  • KLALL YISROEL

    wow! what a shock!! boruch dayan hoemes! a nechomo for the whole zirkind family! all in all- such nice friendly, aidele people! HIS NESHOMA SHOULD HAVE A GREAT ALIYA, AND BRING MOSHIACH NOW!!! NOW!!

  • rg

    i am still in shock, i’ve been crying since i found out.
    he is such a special man. so frum and so down to earth and normal and knowledgeable.
    i truly love his family and i cant imagine the pain they are in!!

  • a Crown Heightser

    He was a big Talmid Chochem with a Glaiche Kop, honest and sensitive, a big loss for our neighborhood.

  • BDE

    i am in shock. he spent hours in person helping with my shalom bais. boruch dayan haemes. what a special chasid.

  • Miriam

    He was such an incredible person. So kind and genuine. Him and his wife took me in as a teenager every Shabbos for the meals. He had such a great sense of humor and was always so incredibly kind and amazing. He will be seriously missed. BDE

  • TRULY TOUCHED BY A SPECIAL PERSON

    BDE! AT A LOSS FOR WORDS! AD MOSAAI HASHEM WE NEED MOSHIACH NOW!

  • a Jew in Crown Heighs

    Boruch Dayan HaEmes.
    He helped me so much and made me feel so warm and welcome. Such a leader to look up to and try to emulate. How can Hashem have taken him? Enough suffering already. Let Moshiach come and give life to those who are no longer with us. Hashem should comfort his family.

  • Family Friend

    Rav Zirkind, obm, is also survived by his dear Rebbitzen, l’hlct’a, Shterna.

  • An answer from the dark

    BS”D
    Boruch Dayan Haemes

    This took me by surprise.
    PLEASE HELP BRING MOSHIACH, BE HONEST AND DO THE LITTLE THINGS TO WORK ON YOURSELF THAT WILL MATTER!
    Good news should come.
    AD MOSAI?
    AD MOSHIACH NOW! :)

  • Chaim

    Number 1 if he did die for our sins what will the community leaders do including the rabonim to correct what is wrong now I.e. that we have a true bais din that cooperates with each other .. Unfirtunately what we have now in my opinion is not a bais din because the 3 do not do anything as a group or the tzinus issue and any other community situations ???

  • A. Cohen

    Harav Yitzchok,obm was one of the founders of Yeshiva Chanoch Lenaar in the spring of 1976 (5736 Shnas Hachinuch). It was a pleasure working with him when I joined YCL several years later. YCL was not the same once he left approximately 18 years ago.

  • ber770

    commenter #1 -sounds too much like a certain other religion.
    rabbi zirkind was a very good man, and will be missed dearly’

  • Levi R.

    Hamokem yenachem eschem b’soch sh’ar aveilei tzion v’yerushalaim. May you all only have happy events from now on.

  • Levi R.

    Hamokem yenachem eschem b’soch sh’ar aveilei tzion v’yerushalaim. May you all only have happy events from now on.

  • Appreciate what we have

    Rabbi Zirkind was a true talmud chochom and rov, and i’m sure achrei mos kedoshim emor, besides the “regular Justified cries of ad mosai and achdus’ i think we should learn to Appreciate the other good pepole of CH both in public office and outside of office that are alive!

  • ari

    commenter #19
    It’s the other way around they took this idea from the Jewish religion

  • yitzchok c in Jerusalem

    BD’H! To my dear friend Yehuda Ber sheyichye. I was so sorry to hear of your father’s passing. He was such a great and wonderful man. May you be comforted. May you only know joy from now on. Hamokom yinachem eschem btoch shaarai avolai tzion vyerushalayim

  • Can-t be

    this must be a mistake, this can not be right. someone up there really messed it up this time. Reb Yitzchok is a Tzadik and very humble man. how many more tzadikim can Crown Heights afford to loose and not disintegrate?
    Hamokom yinachem his family and his parents.
    Still can’t believe this.

  • Bde- shocking

    Decent,knowledgeable,frum, freilich, and a Talmid Chochom who had command of the fifth Shulchan Aruch – he should have been Rov.Too bad he was strashed and harassed. The usual trouble makers have a lot to do tshuva for.

  • Family

    Please don’t make silly comments about Rabbi Zirkind being taken away for our sins. The family is suffering terribly. Please just post beautiful stories which they can cherish forever.

  • mechoel

    omg i am in tears

    Yitzchok Ben Eliezer ob“m

    he was a man of great statues

    the Rebbe used to wish all to be a ChYa”L
    he was of such nature,
    i used to eat by him much his keruv, consern for every one was amazing, his hachnosos orchim was more then i can describe,

    we used to tell me (once at least) of a de\ream that the Rebbe came to him in time of need,

    I dont think i am worthy enough, in my megushemdike life, to speak of a giant of a man

    i am in tears, i cant get over this,

    ;(

  • We need moshiach NOW

    Boruch Dayan Ha’emes.
    Hamokom Yinachem Eschem Bsoch Shaar Aveilei Tzion V’Yerushalaim.

    “Vayidom Aharon”. This has been going on too much.
    Hashem, please bring Moshiach already!

  • Gold

    Boruch Dayan Haemes:

    YES Reb Yitzchok Zirkin WAS a Tzadik,humble,caring and kind genuine person. Always being their for others. YES he WAS an incredible person. He will be truely missed by all.

    Hamokom yinachem eschem btoch shaarai avolai tzion vyerushalayim

  • Until when?!

    I don’t know what to say. Hashem always takes the best ones away from us! Why?! AD MOSAI?!?!

  • Milhouse

    Ki yihyeh be’ish cheit mishpat moves, vehumos, vesoliso oso al eitz. When someone who lacks any sin for which he should die, and yet he dies, we can only attribute it to the eitz hada’as.

  • An admirer from BP

    Reb Yitzchok meant so much to so many. I was personally witness to the midos of emes and ahavas yisroel. His passing is a great loss to Klal Yisroel. May HKB”H comfort his entire family, the entire community and all of Klal Yisroel. May he be a meilitz yosher for all.

  • no words

    There are simply no words
    What a special kind, person, who always had a smile on his face when he saw me or my family.
    Hamakom yenachem eschem bsoch shar aveilei tzion v’yerushalayim. May his family find comfort and his neshama should have a an aliya. May he pierce the heavens and demand MOSHIACH TO COME NOW!

  • Anonymous

    Boruch Dayan Ha’emes.

    He had so much Mesiras nefesh to help make sure that we always had a proper mechitza at the communal Purim Seuda.

  • MOSHIACH NOW

    Hamakom Yenachem Eschem Bishoch Sheor Avelei Tzion Virushalaim.
    May we be merit to
    והקיצו ורננו שוכני עפר והוא בתוכם
    with the coming of Moshiach.

  • a close relative from monsey

    dear shterna;
    it was shocking to hear such bad news ….
    I remember how bubbe aidele a”h loved his smile!
    we all had our share already reb yitzchok should be a meilitz yosher for us and bring moshiach.

  • chaya berkowitz (stern)

    A relative from Brazil
    We are all in shock!
    May hashem give lots of koach to his
    Dear parents wife and kids, and let him
    Be a mailitz yosher for the entire family.

  • JJ

    I didnt know him very well , but every experience I had with him was positive. He worked in my high school and was always a nice guy to everyone.

    This is a tremendous loss for the community. A seriously good person was taken very prematurely from our midst.

    May his family and friends be comforted.

  • LaAniyas Dayti

    Reb Yiztchak O“H would not appreciate those questions to/about Hashem in this decision to have him move on to Gan Eden. He was impeccable in his emunah, and expressed to me his chagrin about such comments being made on decisions of Beis Din Shel Maylah, and against der Eibishter, ChsV”Sh.

    Perhaps, in his zechus, everyone should be machlit to end this vulgar minhag of questioning (and even demanding) from Hashem. It would be a suitable tribute to him. He recognized that when a Rebbe uses such terms, it is an entirely different matter. But for a posheter yid it is so wrong, and raises a generation of children who can feel free to question Hashem on other matters also. Get it?

  • What are people saying?

    Why are you printing so many comments full of ‘kefirah’? This is not the way of Lubavitch, to say the least! These comments should not be printed at all – they should be completely ignored!

  • moti

    to #35 why is it relevant to us? Why in today’s media age do we have to “Know” every detail? Es past nisht. Give nechomo to the family. Fartig. Will it change anything to know the details?

  • Michele Charlup

    My dear Shterna,
    please accept my sincere condolences on your loss.

  • Moishe Sachs

    I wanted to call my old high school rebbe, Yitzchak Zirkind, & googled him only to see that, chaval!, he’s passed away! I’m so sad, I’m so sad. Baruch Dayan Emes! He was my Rebbe from around March, April, or May of 1979-June of 1981 at Chanoch Lenaar, a yeshiva that he founded with Rabbis Yankel Bryski & Moishe Goldshmid. He was knowledgeable, patient, humorous, & kind, serious but compassionate, & a few times, kneed me in the upper leg to help me focus, which I actually really appreciated. Being in the dorm 1,300 miles from a home where I got no discipline, his attention, even the knee in the leg a few times, was exactly what I needed. He once told me that for those kids who want to act up to get kicked out of class, he made them stay in class; those who acted up but wanted to keep acting up in class & not get kicked out, he’d kick out of class, like me, from time to time. For a man who so loved to learn, he sacrificed some of that to be there for us & change our lives for the better. God bless him & continue to comfort his family. I’m so sorry about this for him, his family, & the community. I sure wish God would give us moshiach already so we can have a better world.