MORTKHE-YOYSEF MAYER

MORTKHE-YOYSEF MAYER (1915-January 1981)

            He was born in Chortkov (Chortkiv), eastern Galicia, into a rabbinical family which drew its pedigree back to the Ramah [Moses Isserles, 1520-1572].  He studied in religious primary school with his father and in various yeshivas.  He was a student of the Maharam Shapiro [Meir Shapiro], from whom he received ordination into the rabbinate.  Just before the beginning of WWII, he came to the United States and was for a time rabbi in the Nachalas Zvi school, later in the Hatam Sofer school, both in New York.  He published articles in the Orthodox press in Poland.  In America he contributed to: Dos idishe vort (The Jewish word) and Der id (The Jew) in New York.  He was the author of: Tsayt-motiven, maymorim un ophandlungen, gedanken un shtimungen vegn ale idishe yonteyvim, un vegn religyeze, gezelshaftlikhe un kulturele problemen, psikhologishe shilderungen vegn mensh un natur un vegn di geshehenishen in hayntiger tsayt (Timely considerations, essays and treatments, thoughts and moods concerning all Jewish holidays, and concerning religious, community, and cultural issues, psychological descriptions of man and nature, and concerning the events in contemporary times) (New York, 1942), 288 pp.; Divre harav vedivre hatalmid, maymorim un obhandlungen ṿegen fershidene religieze un gezelshafṭlikhe inyonim, geboyet oyf gedanken un verter fun mayn groysen rebin, dem pyetrikoṿer goen m. hamaharam shapiro (Words of the rabbi and words of the pupil, essays and treatments of various religious and community matters, based on thoughts and words of my great rebbe, the great scholar of Pyetrikov, M. Shapiro, the Maharam) (New York, 1950), 47 pp.  He died in New York

Source: A. Z. Rand, Toldot anshe shem (Stories of famous people) (New York, 1950), p. 85.

Khayim Leyb Fuks