Bais Hachaim Where Rav Yeshaya Kerister’s Brother Buried Closes to Visitors

Staten Island - A beis hachaim in Staten Island where the brother of Rav Yeshaya Kerestir zt”l is buried is being closing to visitors because of coronavirus fears.

The Baron Hirsch Cemetery published a memo on Wednesday stating that it will remain closed to “all memorial and gatherings” until further notice.

Interred in the cemetery is Rav Yehuda Tzvi Steiner zt”l, whose kever has become a makom tefilla in recent years on Rav Yeshaya’s yahrtzeit on 3 Iyar, which comes out next Monday.

Rav Yehuda Tzvi was Rav Yeshaya’s older brother, and he immigrated to the United States in 1891 and dealt in tashmishei kedusha. He also helped arrange for people to send kvittlach to his brother.

People started going to his kever after a person who wanted to go to Rav Yeshaya in Hungary was unable to. The rebbe appeared to him in a dream and said that he had a brother buried in New York and he should go there instead.

The cemetery warned that anyone caught violating the ban “will be arrested and or summons for trespassing.”