Memory Lane: Rav Yosef Tovia Levy, An Ashkenazi Rov for the Sephardic Community

The year was 1893, and a young lad of seventeen from Russia alighted the ship from Hamburg, Germany. 

He landed on Moore Street—an important area of Jewish old Williamsburg—and would go on to live an incredibly colorful and interesting life, in and out of the United States, and would spend the last two decades in Boro Park. 

He was born Yosef Tovia Halevi Silberman, to his father, R’ Yitzchok Zundel Halevi, in the great city of Kovno (according to his documents), in the year 1867. We don’t know much about his childhood at all, except that he was definitely a talmid chochom in his later years—and he would earn the respect of his fellow rabbonim—and those roots would presumably have taken root in his childhood. 

He had a number of siblings, each one of which would later adopt a different surname. One of them was a prominent Rov in St. Louis, MO, by the name of Rav Dov Aryeh Halevi Lehman.    

Boro Park

They spent some time in Morrocco, where he was involved in the esrogim trade, and in 1923, the Levy’s left Morocco—the birthplace of all of them but the father—and settled on 15th Avenue in Boro Park. Subsequently, we find him referred to as “Chief Sephardic Beth Din of Greater New York.” 

The next important role in Rabbinic leadership came with his selection as secretary of Knesses Harabanim, which needs a bit of an introduction. In New York (and earlier in Boston) there was a great rov, a son-in-law of Rav Nachumke Horodner, by the name of Rav Gavriel Zev (Velvele) Margolies. 

Rav Velvele was a great zealot for the cause of Torah and mitzvos, and sought to unite the Rabbonim of America to take strong positions in many matters. His organization was seen as a rival to the Agudas Harabanim, and had a number of prominent rabbonim in its ranks. 

Here is where we find a meeting in the year 1930, at Chevra Torah Anshei Chessed. “It brought together 150 Rabbonim at the shul, where Rav Yeshaya Yaakov Margolin serves as the leader. There was much discussion about the yeshivos, chinuch, kashrus, and taharas hamishpacha, and many other issues on the agenda… when they voted, Rabbi Gavriel Zev Margolies was chosen as the Nosi, Rabbi Margolin as Sgan Nosi, and Rav Yosef Tovia Halevi Levy as secretary.” 

In the summer of 1932, we find an announcement of an upcoming 15th convention of the Knesses Harabanim, and Rabbi Levy is featured in a photo of a pre-event meeting, which would address “the spread of Hitlerism and persecution of Jews in Hungary and Romania. The committee will recommend the repeal of the 18th amendment (prohibiting the sale and manufacture of alcohol), and the endorsement of a five-day workweek.  

He was a brilliant man, and his grandson (who was raised in the home since his parents remained in Morocco) remembers him as deeply pious and learned… and stern. 

Rabbi Levy suffered a stroke around 1935, and he was never the same after that. 

He was niftar on 29 Nissan of the year 1939, and interred in Menorah Cemetery in Passaic–following an incredibly eventful life, and many years of rabbinic work.