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Irvi Bunim was born in 1 ing w 1901 in Volo ozhin, Lithua ania, a small l tow that was home to a ve famous y wn h ery yeshiva. Whe he was ni en ine, his family moved to Ameri ca. His paren were poo but still se nts or ent him to a yeshiv to learn To m va orah. Wh he grew up, he chose to be a businessman wh sold fabric so hen u e ho he would have time to learn Torah and help klal Yi w n israel. When he n own his owned business, he called it Eden Text ned , tiles to remi ind him mself that his money shou be used t do chesed and give s uld to d tzed dakah which would brin him to Ga Eden. h ng an Sav ving Americ Jewry can When Irv ving Bunim was a teenag many Je decided not to live a ger, ews according to Torah law anymore. The rabbis who spoke English enco ouraged the people not t listen to h to halacha. The rabbis wh spoke Yid ho ddish wanted Jews to ke Torah. M eep Many young people liked the newer w d ways of doing things. One day, R. Bunims friend marr a non-Je , s ried ewish woma He realize that his fr an. ed friends child dren would no be Jewish. He decided he would save America Jewry. He started an o ot . d an e organization n called the Young Isra that bega with one shul and grew to four sh in New Y e ael an s w huls York and the to en shuls all over the United States. He made sur that there were shuls w mechitz where H re with zas shiurim were given in English. Later, he taug Rabbanim who were Yarei Sham w n L ght m e mayim how t to teach Tor in Englis He made sure that r rah sh. e rabbis who were teachin the Torah incorrectly got ng h y kicked ou of the You Israel. The Young Israel even helped Shomer Shabbos m find job ut ung T men bs. Accordin to Rav Yo Ber Solo ng osef oveitchik Y Young Israel led by Bun l, nim, did no l than sav a less ve whole ge eneration of Jewish Yout J th Helping Jew everyw where The Jews in Israel an Europe were very poo and had no food. R. B s nd or o Bunim gave speeches to raise a lot of tz zedaka for Is srael and yes shivos in Eu urope. He eve bought an orchard in Israel and g en n gave all the pr rofits to the farmers there on the cond f e dition they w would keep S Shabbos. In 1940, many yeshiv had to fl from Pola and wen to Vilna. T vos lee and nt They had no money and no o food. The Rabbanim in America founded the Vaad Hatza to save th e e ala hem. Irving Bunim beca ame its lay lea ader. He rais millions of dollars an did all he could to sav even one Jewish life. sed nd e ve At the tim Rav Shlo me, omo Heiman even said The Bunim home is the world wide military n m e e headquar rters for all Torah matter T rs.

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One Shab bbos, the Bu unim home became comm b mand centra The Russi al. ians threaten to kill or ned r imprison 1000 Roshe Yeshiva an bnei haye n ei nd eshiva if the y didnt hav the require money to take ve ed o a train ac cross Russia to Japan. Th needed $50,000 and it was Shab hey $ bbos! Rav Sh hlomo Heiman, Reb Mos Feinstein and Rav Sh she n hraga Feivel Mendlowitz paskened t R. Buni should co z that im ollect the mone even thou it was Sh ey ugh habbos. Toge ether with tw rabbanim he traveled from perso to wo m, d on person an collected the money. Among thos saved wer Rav Ahar Kotler, R Yechezk nd se re ron Rav kel Levenste Mashgia of the Mi ein, ach irrer Yeshiva and Rav R Reuvein Grozovsky. 512 of the g a Rav group spent the war years in Shanghai where the Vaad Hatzala sent them m e n w money for food and shelt ter. During th war, every he ything possi was don to send clo ible ne othing, food and money to people trapped in Siberia, Eu urope, Japan and China. The Vaad tr n ried every ta actic and fou ught many ba attles to save ev one Jew from the Nazis. ven w Post Wo orld War II Irving Bu unim made every effort to become close to gedo e t olim. He wou host them serve them uld m, m and try to learn from them. He tried to listen to whatever they said be o r ecause of the Daas To eir orah. Rav Aharon Kotl arrived in America in 1941. At th A ler n n he train station, he a announced th he had co save To hat ome orah in Am merica. From that day, R Bunim be m R. ecame a follo ower of Ra Kotler and did whatev he said to help make this av d ver o e a real lity. He wou often quo the gema that said t uld ote ara that it is greater to ser a Talmid chacham th to learn g rve d han Torah itself. h Durin and imme ng ediately after World Wa II, R. Bun ar nim devot himself t saving Jew lives. A ted to wish After the war r, Irving Bu unim devoted himself to saving Jewi neshamo He becam the presid of the ish os. me dent Yaakov Yosef Yeshiva for over 30 years. He was one of the foundin vice presid Y 3 e f ng dents of Tor rah UMesor and helpe in every way to raise money and encourage c rah ed w communities to found To s orah Day Scho through ools hout the coun ntry. He also helped foun the Beis M o nd Medrash Ga avoha in Lakewoo od. Helping Jews in Isra ael. el ed e hardic boy on the n During a trip to Israe in the late 1950s, R. Bunim visite Tsfas. He met a Seph street for whom he re r ecited the Sh hema. He ask the boy i he knew w he was saying. The boy ked if what e cided to teac Jews in Is did not. Not happy with just help N w ping Jews in America, R. Bunim dec ch srael about the Torah. He helped found and suppor Chinuch Atzmai a network of schools in I e h d rt f Israel run by ge edolei Torah h. Irving Bu unim lived his whole life dedicated to helping ot h e t ther Jews. H always rem He membered th hat his main business wa not Eden Textiles bu was work as n ut king on his G Eden to bringing Jew Gan ws closer to Hashem and His Torah. d .

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