First Draft of BIO of Reb Yoinoson
There have been several requests that we upload a bio of Reb Yoinoson Binyamin Hakohen Z”L also known as Reb Johnny or simply Johnny to his friends and yedidim.
As Reb Johnny was a people’s person with many best friends it would be unfair,incomplete and unjust that Reb Johnny’s Bio should be written by one person or even a few. It would really need the input of his many friends jointly working together compiling a more wholesome view of the Johnny that we all knew and loved. Therefore I am uploading this as a first draft and a work in progress just to get the ball rolling. I am requesting that others add their comments, additions, critique etc, that way with all our input we will create the Bio Johnny really deserves. ( I am uploading as a post for now, I will add it as a special BIO page as we move along)
Thank you
Reb Yoinoson Binayamin Hakohen Z’L, or Johnny was born on the Lower East Side on March 20,1959 to Nuchem Eliyhohu and Charna Perel Abraham , his family moved to Boro Park in 1965. His father was a holocaust survivor, who survived Auschwitz. He was the eldest of four boys; after his mother passed away when he was 12 years old he was raised by his father who raised the four orphans on his own. As the eldest of the four children who had a special relationship with his mother, the death of his mother took a tremendous toll on him. This deep loss gave rise to many existentialist questions and deliberations throughout his life time. As a child it was already obvious that he was brilliant and special. ( I recall R’chaim Steins of Telz son saying that when Johnny came to camp in cleveland before his bar mitzvah R’ Chaim had a special affinnity and love towards the Yossom Yoinoson as he was an illiu and a prodigy)
For Elementary school he went to Yeshiva Torah Temimah, and then went on to Yeshiva Chaim Berlin for high school. In 1975 he went to St. Louis Rabbinical College and he was there till 1981. Sometime in 1981 or 1982 he went to Telz in Cleveland for two years, staying there till 1984. In 1984 to 1987 he went to Beth Medrash Gevoah of Lakewood, during his years in Lakewood he began exploring other yeshivas and drachim and learned in other yeshivas in the US, Mexico and in Israel. He learned in Mexico by Reb Menachem Yunny’s Kollel, he also learned in Miami by Rabbi Zweigs Kollel, In Beis Yossef Navardik, In Israel in Ohr Sameach, Aish amongst others.
In 1987 he went to Brooklyn College where he took various courses on and off for several years. He also used to spend a lot of time, and was a well known figure on the Colombia University campus, although he wasn’t actually registered as a student. He had several teaching jobs throughout the years, and also worked as a fact checker for a large publishing house in Manhattan. He used to edit manuscripts and help colleagues to write advanced papers needed for exams and degrees.
For the last five years of his life he spent most of his time learning Gmoroh and Chassidus, he first started learning Mesechas Brachos Biyun rav at Rabbi Twersky’s shul on K and 29th (The Horensteipler Rebbe- who when he heard of johnny’s petireh commented ” er iz geven a nishomo fin der frierdigger doiros Ich huff er hut misakin givein der tikkun far vu ser iz tzirik gekimen), and then continued with Mesachas Babba Kamma learning in Yeshivah Zichron Melech with several chavrusas throughout the day and night etc… He gave shiurim in Baba kamma and wrote a lot of chiddushei toirah in his many notebooks.
Reb Yoinoson (Johnny) was extremely private in his personal life and did not really appreciate any prying into his coming and goings. When he did provide information, it was on a need to know basis, providing some glimpses and insights into his private life. He felt most comfortable with people who were not inquisitive into his personal life, but appreciated his knowledge compassion and understanding.
Due to his brilliant mind that could never be satiated, and his voracious appetite for more and more knowledge, over the course of many years he broadened his horizons searching and seeking. He was never satisfied with just one approach, and he had to understand and analyze it all from many different and varying perspectives. During those years, he spent time in various circles absorbing all that he can from many sources and people; he became friendly with professors, scholars and academics who loved discoursing with him for hours at a time. All those years Johnny yearned for the koislei Beis Hamedrish and he used to compare himself to Isaiah Berlin, and Chaim Grade, and various others that stated that with all their knowledge and wanderings, they still yearn for the shtender they had in yeshiva.
As he never discussed his personal life and his coming and goings it is difficult to fill in all the blanks and we would appreciate any and all assistance in putting it all together.
To best understand his demeanor we can use a quote from one of the commenter’s on 7fatcow that on some level Johnny considered himself to be comparable to the mysterious Monsieur Chochani.
When Johnny would speak passionately (when did he not?) about the mysterious Shoshani, I had a sense that he identified himself with him most. Even when he spoke about death (his own, or philosophically) it was with such LIFE. RITCHA d’oyrayso.Shtendik gelebt mit HOROVANOYA. not only learning. Going to shiveh soon. Last night of shiveh. SHIVAH is at his father’s house in BP, 5001 14th Ave. #6D (4th floor) until 11PM. They are standing up Thursday morning, so tomorrow (Wednesday) night is the last night. Everyone do go. The family really appreciates hearing about him. They seem to not have had a full scope of who Johnny really was, especially his tzidkus. During the hespeydim they made a big fuss about his toyreh learning, but he was much much more.
Remebering the first time I saw him: Fall of 1997 at Columbia University, Altshuler Auditorium in SIPA. George Steiner is lecturing on “3 Pamphlets about the Jews” which included Marx’ famous essay about the God of the Jews: money. After the lecture, a man with a short black beard go over to Steiner and makes a comment to him. Steiner replies briefly and leaves. Johnny, still standing in the front on the right side of the stage, starts discussing with a couple of people around him. Others join and a tight circle forms around him. He is now gesticulating with raised hands and forceful voice. Seeing this from afar, I recognize that this must be a yeshivah guy who is being mifalpel as if standing in middle of Lakewood beis medresh. It was not long thereafter that I met him at Pearl Gluck’s Chanukah party in Battery Park City & at Stuwy Wax’ shabaton on the UWS. Before long we were hanging out in the VIllage (in the cafe above Comedy Celler on McDougal) and other places (e.g. Hungarian Pastery Shop, where he is a legend, although the shmuks there kicked him out!). With Corporate Raider, we all hung out together in memorable ways. Then there was Rainbow 1999 in PA, and other mesiboys, especially in homes (Rivkah’s, Anna’s). Then there was Church Ave. Kensington, where he farbrenged days upon days long - mamesh a ma’ayon hamisgabeyr. Even at Kings Highway he would go on, though by now he was more insular. This too was when the shiurim started in full force, gemoroh bobo kamo etc. - who could forget???, rabi alufi umyudoi….
There were other facets too: his knowledge of “mayrov kultur” was lehaflee, both philosophy and literature, the classics to the moderns, with copious recall of the loshoyn. A daykon nifloh. But above all, a heart bigger than his head. - As he used to be meshabeyach Reb Chayim Brisker for his tzidkus more than his learning.
The last time we spoke was around 2 months ago on the UWS, He was carrying a gemoroh and we stopped to speak for over an hour. Amongst other things, he probed into history and psyche of the ba’al Sheridey Aysh, both in methodology and relations with other gedoylim. We also touched on Rab Hutner and some other related subjects. When a collection of letters between Rav Hutner and the Lubavitcher Rebbe was published a few weeks ago in Kfar Chabad magazine, I meant to get a hold of him to show him. At one point around then , when I was at M.’s, he told me that Johnny wa just there & left. Where from & where to not one knew, for at the end his on goings were mysterious: no phone number, no address. He seemed to have a premonition that he no longer belongs to/in this world. Still, if only Johnny was still here….
one of johnny’s heroes:
The Man Without Qualities brought Musil only mediocre commercial success. Though he was nominated for the Nobel Prize, he felt he did not receive the recognition he deserved. He sometimes expressed annoyance at the success of more famous colleagues like Thomas Mann (or Hermann Broch) who admired his work deeply, and moved by his material poverty, tried to shield him against quotidian worries and encouraged him to further his literary work, even though Musil was initially critical of Mann.
The last years of Musil’s life were dominated by Nazism and World War II; the Nazis banned his books. He saw early Nazism first-hand during 1931-1933 in a stay in Berlin, and later, when Austria became a part of the Third Reich in 1938, Musil left for exile in Switzerland, where he died of a stroke on April 15, 1942. Musil collapsed in the middle of his gymnastic exercises and according to legend died with an expression of ironic amusement on his face. He was 61. There were only eight people present at his funeral.
Yes, Musil was up there on his list, even more than Elias Canetti. (With Johnny’s approval, I got H. in Thailand the new 2 vol. translation that came out around 10 years ago.) The opening few pages are classic in its convergence of keen analysis of place, time & character.
Another hero of Johnny’s was Michah Yosef Berdichevsky: his tormented life, hapless love-life, academic struggles & his writings, especially his “Sefer HaChasidim” which is a yekar hametzius. (I don’t think even JTS has an original copy, only a photostat one.) But above all, he identified with Berdichevsky’s constant conflict between the traditional & the modern, the frum & secular, Volozhin & University. & he continued extolling chasidim throughout.
Another “riz” (kilshoynoy) on Johnny’s pantheon was Rav Gedalyah Nidal of Bney Brak, student of the Chazoyn Ish and an original thinker in the chareydi velt (re science, philosophy etc.). Many of the writers on “Atzkach” (”Atzor Kan Choshvim”) on “Hyde Park” are his followers. In fact, Johnny wrote there too for a while. (He told me once his tag name.) Although Johnny’s own view were not necessarily on the same page as his, he still respected Gedalyah’s relative honesty, humility, mentshlichkayt, and courage to question and probe.
Interestingly enough within the past month before his petirah we were discussing with Reb Yoinoson Z”L about Monsieur Chochani and he mentioned that there is only one book written on Chochani and it is in French, and it’s a fascinating book. I asked him, “what? You read French?” He responded with his usual smile, “When I read that book I found out that I know how to read French.” There were several others in the room at the time and all of us had this feeling that as Reb Yoinoson Z’L was relating and discussing what he knew and read about Chouchani’s life, he was talking about himself!! Two weeks before his petirah he asked someone if he can please find him any “Chidushai Torah” written by Chochani since that is what is really important to him.
We know that Johnny had a prolific genius knowledge in many subjects and many diverse schools of thought from traditional Talmudic literature, Gemoroh, Rishonim, Achronim, with all the Yeshivishe reid including all the reid from the latest Roshei yeshivas , traditional Chassidishe seforim, classic Seforim Hakdoishim etc.. And all the scholarly and modern analysis and interpretations of the Jewish literature and tradition, from Gershon Shalom, Tishbi, Moshe Eidel, Eliach Carlbach etc… He knew a tremendous amount of chassidishe, litvishe stories and maisos including all the names, dates, and cities and was able to relate them in vivid descriptive detail. He was very familiar with all the works of the Maskilim from Solomon Maimon to Berdichevsky and othersHe had the ability to discuss any of these subjects to his listeners on any of these subjects on the level of the participants using the rational and school of thought of his audience. He was comfortable and knowledgeable speaking to Lomdim, and Scholars alike. Each and everyone walked way amazed at his depth clarity and knowledge.
In addition to the above Johnny was equally at home in many secular subjects, he had an encyclopedic knowledge of World History, Western History, Eastern History and was able to talk about it recalling names, dates, geographies, wars, as if he was reading it out of an advanced College history book. Johnny also knew and had a very deep understanding of Western Philosophy starting from the pre-Aristotelian, to Aristotle, Socrates all the way to Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, Leibniz, Rousseau, Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Comte, Mach and Nietzsche to the post modernist and the current writers and philosophers. Most of the time he would start by saying, I don’t know too much about the subject, and then go on quoting verbatim pages and chapters of many of these and other philosophers.
He was also well versed in Western and Eastern Literature knowing most of the classics by heart at most times when a book or author was mentioned he was able to quote by heart several chapters by heart. He quoted English writers from all Era from the Renaissance, through the Romanticists all the way to the modernist and post modernist. Shakespeare, Franz Kafka, Musil, James, Williams and Russian writers Alexander Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, French Writers such as Balzac, Zola and Proust, were his best friends so to speak. He was also very familiar with Arabic and Muslim literature and was able to quote many parts of the Quran Verbatim. Strangely enough he was also knowledgeable with the Christian canon and was able to quote large parts of the New Testament too.
For several years he had a great interest in science, especially quantum physics and quantum Mechanics and loved discussing Einstein, Max Plank, Heisenberg, Schrodinger, amongst others.
21 Responses to “First Draft of BIO of Reb Yoinoson”
Thank you for the bio!
Btw, Isaiah Berlin, that you quoted was a brilliant fellow, but, not as far as I know at least, a “yeshiva boy who yearned to go back to the stender”
You may be right I may of made a mistake, if it wasn’t him then then my recollection failed me, and it may be Harry A. Wolfson http://www.answers.com/topic/harry-austryn-wolfson
who was a slobodka talmid.
This would of been a typical thing to ask Johnny, who would of responded on the spot. Chaval Al Diavdin, Al hay Shufra Dibully Areh
Now I did search online a bit I found this, and I now recall Johnny telling me that quote from Isaiah Berlin
Isaiah Berlin was born in Riga, Latvia, on June 6, 1909. His father was a successful timber merchant and landowner and his grandfather on his mother’s side was a Hasidic rabbi of the ecstatic Lubavitch tradition. His family moved to St. Petersburg where he was a witness to the two Russian revolutions of 1917. The family then immigrated in 1921 to London, where it had business interests.
As a boy, Isaiah, then known as Shaya, had some religious education, although he said he found the Talmud a ”very, very boring book. I could never figure out why I should care why the bull gored the cow.” Nevertheless, he continued his religious education in London, where he had his bar mitzvah.
Although he said he never felt the sting of anti-Semitism himself, he said he gave up the thought of going to Westminster School when a teacher suggested to him that with a name like Isaiah he wouldn’t ”be comfortable” there. He dealt with it simply by attending St. Paul’s instead.
Johnny was born on the Lower East Side on March 20,1959. He remembered details from the LES very well. His family moved to Boro Park in 1965.
Charlie thanks, we will change that, but don’t stop there, you have a lot more information about the early years and St. Louis,please go on.
What was his mothers name? He used to relate stories about his grandfather an Alter Poilisher Yeedle that used to live by them as a child. Do you know anything about him?
Please fill in more details.
If I may, just based on what I’ve seen on the blog and listening to some shiurim of Johnny, he is very different from Mr Shoshany.Attentive to every persons questions, a humility which never made him 100% sure his way was right, none of what I’ve seen about Shoshany, who seems to have been a very, very strange(fill in the blank…) person.Read the article about Shoshany in Haaretz, available online to get a better grip on this person.
I’m eagerly waiting more shiurim, pics, bio.
Thank you!
Mr.joey- in regard to comparing reb johnny to monsieur chouchani it seems you took what was wrote a bit out of context.
As someone like myself which may seem quite ironic,i had a deep and long discussion regarding chouchani a couple of weeks before reb johnny was niftar, with reb johnny.
I would say this,of course monsieur chouchani in no way can be compared to anybody.He goes down in history as one of the greatest teachers and one of the most mysterious person ever.As the legend goes there wasn’t a thing under the sun he did not know,and as reb johnny told me. Just by the fact alone that chouchani was able to take one of the greatest philosopher of the last century Emmanuel Levinas and change his mind completely in one night.Shows he had a brain from a different world. quote Wikipedia
“”"”"”"”" In 1945 Levinas closest friend, Dr. Henri Nerson a Jewish obstetrician, told him about an outstanding and quite bizarre individual he came to know during the years of the War in the area of Vichy. The man was so unusual that even his real name was not known. He used to be called Chouchani but this was more of a nickname than his true one. His external appearance was quite unpleasant, some say even repugnant. However, according to Nerson his knowledge was phenomenal. Nerson, who was known for his sober way to apprehend people and situations, was clearly in a state of excitement as if he would have become an adept of some sect. He strongly recommended to Levinas to meet Chouchani, but for two years Levinas refused. After all (…) Levinas was quite suspicious as to what this “clochard” looking man could contribute to him. Finally in 1947 Levinas agreed to meet Chouchani. We know very little about the meeting itself. But there exists a myth. The myth suggests that they met for an entire night, and in the morning Levinas said to Nerson as he was about to leave: “I can not tell what he knows, all I can say is that all that I know, he knows”. Be the accuracy of this myth as it may, one fact remains undisputable. From then on, Levinas became interested in the study of Talmud to a point where most of his free time, he would devote to studying it.
For the next five years Levinas studied at length with Chouchani. Alone, with Nerson and in a weekly study group that would study Talmud and which included in addition to them a small group of friends. In 1952 Chouchani left France for Israel, and came back in 1956 for about six months before leaving Europe definitely for South America where he remained until his death in 1968. [1]“”"”"”"”
What makes chouchani so mysterious was the fact no one knew his name ,he never lived in one place for more than a couple of months,he knew every language with the accent,He lived as a pauper with dirty clothes even though he was offered to be paid high salaries for his teachings- he declined. You never knew where he was going or when he was going, he just vanished from one second to the next.The list just goes on and on…….
Now this isn’t just me ,but others also felt so.That when reb johnny spoke about chouchani,you were able to understand a bit more of what kind of person chouchani was, based on the person reb johnny was.Because you felt as if somewhat reb johnny was talking about himself it sounds funny but yet so true.
Everyone will tell you,that reb johnny was an extremely unique individual and plainly just different.He was way more intelligent and intellectually brilliant than his peers,had a scope of knowledge that was jaw dropping.IF there was a topic reb johnny considered he did not know,he surely knew much more about it then the person he was talking to.The reason being,reb johnny himself told me himself-that if he did not go over a subject at least a hundred times with every angle HE DID NOT CONSIDER KNOWING IT.(its quite evident that this is true,ive wittnessed him learning by himself on a number of occasions)
Reb johnny could not connect to society on a basic level,his brain was constantly thinking and trying to understand.That is the way people connected to him,yearning and anticipating to discuss with reb johnny what ever subject it was.Wanting to know what does reb johnny taineh or hold regarding this or that subject.People would always say “”MI DARF DUS AAH DURICH REDIN MIT REB YOINISON ” to see what he says.
Reb johnny’s love in life, was to to discuss, teach,listen and just simply make you feel good.It is when reb johnny got into deep and intense discussions or said some major chap or svara.He got excited and you saw his face light up,it was those moments it seems he just loved most.
If it was “ye ye…your saying good”,or “i can except that”,or” i can live that” or plain “i hear what your saying” he was always thinking about how the other person is feeling.At times promoting his famous “but ehh…but ehh”thinking of the best answer the other person would appreciate.
Reb johnny came and went with usually no one knowing his immediate whereabouts,his personal life never known to the public,you had to track him down to get through to him.Never wore any clothes that fitted society .It is these little nuances that connects him or makes it easier to understand the great teacher chouchani.
There isn’t anyone out there that spoke to reb johnny,and did not walk away from the conversation without some new peace of information,again i irritate “NO ONE”,hence we can all surly call him teacher.
So now again reb johnny was truly unique and cannot be compared to anyone,but you were able to understand who chouchani was through seeing reb yoinisin z’l.
LG,
Thanks for your response,
I was just trying to explain that the Shoshani guy was quite a bit off,mentally, his talmidim were of the style of Elie Wiesel, not the greatest talmid chochom around.Notice that the guys who rave about Shoshani are people who were not very torah learned.
Now, understand that Shoushani was obviously an amazing genius,I recall that Wiesel writes that to impress him ,Shoushani learned Hungarian in two weeks, remember that Hungarian is one of the most difficult languages!
But apparently this is a bissel ibber getribben
Family very moved and immensely greatful for all that has been done to perpetuate the memory of our dear brother Yonoson mothers name is charna perel please feel free to email
Thank you
Reb Yoinoson used to talk about his grandfather a alter poilesher yeedle who lived with them when they were kids. Who was he is fathers mother? what was his name?
Thank you
Reb Yoinoson used to talk about his grandfather a alter poilesher yeedle who lived with them when they were kids. Who was he? his mothers father? what was his name?
He was his mothers grandfather mothers mothers father Reb Dovid Weichenberg Also known as “The hoicher Duvid” he lived with them until Reb Yoinoson was about 10 years old
the hoyecher duvid never learned english and studied all the time- from what i can remember him telling me.
as much as i love the writing- i think it fails to address his continuous struggle, development/growth and his financial situation (starvation, homeless etc. etc.) and how he felt about this world.
reb johnny was an amazing work in progress- quite alive and forever open to intellectual change- why not write more about his discoveries along his amazing and unique path in life.
Fragmented -Write something send it in we will post it
To the people who knew Johnny well:
I never knew him but have listened to his tapes and read the outpouring of love on 7fatcow and here.He was really a fascinating person, what I was especially taken by was his humility, addressing anybody who asked, made a point,one of the best “teachers” I’ve seen.The question is obvious, if I may that is:Johnny put away most Roshei Yeshiva and Rebbes.Without mention of any names, Johnny could have been either a bigger rebbe than alleh rebbes(today there is a genre of tebbes where people gather around a special person) or a better rosh yeshiva fin alleh roshei yeshiva (though having a yeshiva entails raising money something apparently Johnny was not good at, still marrying a rosh yeshivas tochter would have been an accesible option)
How come Johnny apparently got lost in the system and peniless to boot?
To Joey and others,
I’m glad you brought up this question:
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Johnny could have been either a bigger rebbe than alleh rebbes(today there is a genre of tebbes where people gather around a special person) or a better rosh yeshiva fin alleh roshei yeshiva
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Its important to put things in perspective. Our dear friend was brilliant , thought-provoking, cared very much about people, and was very, very learned, in Shem and Yofes. A great joy to be around, charismatic , fun, alle gitte zachen. Does that qualify one to be the greatest rebbe or Rosh Yeshiva?
just reminded myself of one of Johnny’s favorite jokes
Back in Russia, 2 very poor Yidden, dirty , starving, homeless, are sitting in a cold Bais Medrash, and learning, with their last koiches
Yankel says to Berel ” This is too hard, let’s take up the Church’s offer to shmad zich, we’ll get food, a hot bath, everything we need”.
Berel says ” Great idea, but we first we have to cunch the Toysfes”.
Cunch in this context means finish off, conquer, get to the bottom of.
does anyone know about R’ Mechel Lebovich, in Monsey? Johnny used to go there Friday nights, many,many years ago, and was very much taken by him. Is this the current Nikolsburger Rebbe? Did Monsey Vizhnitzer annoint him with that title? Johnny repeated many geshmake things from him and about him.
Cha’simas HaBlog
In many ways, this blog reflects Johnny’s life. It has a lot of unorganized , possibly brilliant substance, and too little by way of human interaction.
Hai Shufra D’Boleh B’Areh.
I (maybe others too) hoped for so much more.
Charlie, Ich bin A Yuchid. With the hishtafus of the chavraya, getting the data,editing,posting, commenting vchulu..ken epes veren!!
I knew him but I didn’t know him. Who really did? Was there some aspect of his life about which we did not know? I always had the sensation, when dealing with Johnny, that he was not presenting his entire self to me. As if there was some sort of dark secret about which we do not know. I agree with Charlie Hafner that yes, his life had too little actual human interaction. He was quite the “idea man,” but where was the actual man?
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