Prominent Rabbi Mordechai Auerbach, Leader in Tel Aviv, Dies at 84

Rabbi Mordechai Auerbach, a prominent rabbi and leader in Tel Aviv, passed away at the age of 84. He served as the rabbi of the "Avir Yaakov" Sadigura community in the city, headed the "Halichot Shlomo" yeshiva, and was president of the "National Center for Family Purity." Rabbi Auerbach had been hospitalized at Ichilov Hospital for the past week due to severe pneumonia, and his condition worsened, leading to his transfer to intensive care. Many in the Jewish community prayed for his recovery.

Born in Jerusalem in 1942, Rabbi Auerbach studied at the Ponevezh Yeshiva. After marrying the daughter of Rabbi Aharon Bamberger, he moved to Tel Aviv and was appointed rabbi of the "Avir Yaakov" Sadigura community, following the directive of the Roszhin rebbes. For decades, he was a spiritual guide in central Tel Aviv, fostering a community that included many who had returned to religious observance. He was known for his inclusive and welcoming approach.

In addition to his daily Torah lectures, he led the "Halichot Shlomo" yeshiva in Tel Aviv, named after his father, and headed the "National Center for Family Purity" and other institutions. He regularly received visitors at his home seeking his counsel on halachic matters and blessings.

Rabbi Auerbach is survived by his sons, Rabbi Aaron Auerbach, author of "Halichot Shlomo," and Rabbi Chaim Leib Auerbach, son-in-law of the Slonim Rebbe, as well as his sons-in-law Rabbi Avraham Natan Bornstein, rabbi of the Radomsk synagogue in Bnei Brak, and Rabbi Yosef Meir Feldman, a senior lecturer at the Vizhnitz Yeshiva in Elad. The funeral procession was scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM from his synagogue at 17 Elephant Street in Tel Aviv, and at 12:00 PM in Jerusalem at Har HaMenuchot cemetery.