Tribute: Esther Tolkien Kfar haRoeh/Israel
Your father, Yoni, was my GURU from the age of 13 throughout my growing up years – the years of searching for the meaning of life and one’s identity. He opened my mind and eyes. It was truly painful when he had to leave South Africa on an exit visa.The years passed, I married and…
Tribute: Rabbi Dorron Kline C.E.O. Telfed /Israel
On behalf of our chairman, Batya Shmukler, the Executive Council members and staff of Telfed, I would like to let you know that our hearts are with you on the passing of your beloved father, Rabbi Ben Isaacson.We send you condolences and sincere sympathy. We know that his memory will be a blessing to all…
Tribute: Gavi Jankolowitz Ramat Gan/ Israel
Rabbi Isaacson senior, as he was known during my years in Hirsch Lyons, didn’t preach us Torah. He shared with us a personality that was created by a faithfulness and connection to what is real. A self, which was formed by a richness of experience. A portal into what it means to live a life…
Tribute: Rabbi Danny Saksenberg Johanesburg/South-Africa
R Isaacson z”l was a truly rare individual – the level of intellectual honesty he had was just incredible. Many people know what is right, but few were comparable to him in his passionate drive to discover what is correct and then the total commitment to live his life according to his discovered truths, no…
Tribute: Yariv Kohaly Johannesburg/South-Africa
Hi everyone. Wishing the family much comfort during this difficult time. Chanuka is the time of shining the light and specifically the light the Jewish people have lived by since they became a nation. The light of the holy Torah- Ner mitzvah vetorah ohr . I met Rabbi Isaacson senior a couple times but on…
Tribute: Adrian Chiger Johannesburg/South-Africa
In my experience, Rabbi Ben Zion was a very incisive analyst of general and particularly Jewish trends. He was a courageous and outspoken critic of what he saw as immoral social behavior, regardless of the social standing of the incumbent. Such people are sorely missed in the strange and amoral world we find ourselves in…
Tribute: Rabbi Dov Tanzer Senior poseik and Rosh Yeshiva Johannesburg/South-Africa
A message from haGaon our teacher Rav Dov Tanzer שליט”א Dear Ilana, Tamara, Rabbi Yoni and Ariel. Hamakom yenachem eschem… May Hashem grant you strength and comfort on the very sad passing of your Dad – one of my fathers Telze colleagues and a dear friend of Dads for so many decades. He was a…
Tribute: Na’ama Ben-Meir Modi’in/Israel
Tonight we buried a great man, in my opinion one of gedolay hador. He had four biological children but many more considered him as their adopted dad. He was a man that would take you into his home and help you no matter what. He had an amazing heart that never stopped loving and giving…
Tribute: Mandy Levine Care-worker
I worked for the most amazing person not only was he my boss but he was like a father to me. I will surely miss him may his dear soul rest in peace. I will always love him.
Tribute: Rabbi Yochanan Ziegler Cape-Town/South-Africa
I was deeply impacted by the passion with which Rav Ben would sing particularly on Purim night at the R’Y Rabbi and Rebitzin Goldfein’s home. His passion brought every song he sang to life and every word was clearly sung from the heart .
Tribute: Renea Mcneil Harare/Zimbabwe
Rabbi Isaacson had a tremendous impact on my life. He was kind and helped my family and I when we had nowhere to live in Bulawayo. He restored my faith in humanity and taught me to persevere with courage and determination. He was a wonderful person who was loved, will be missed and will never…
Tribute: Andy Behr Ramat Beit-Shemesh/Israel
I fondly remember the times when we were still in SA and part of his shul. On occassion we would ask a seemingly insignificant shilo, to which he would respond by staying up LITERALLY ALL night – and giving us a detailed blow by blow account in the morning of ALL the meforshim’s commentaries on…
Tribute: Rabbi David Lapin Raanana/Israel
Rabbi Lapin’s Chanuka Shiur tonight 8.45-9.30 pm is dedicated to the memory of הרב אברהם בן-ציון בן עזריאל הרץ ז”ל, a spiritual leader of colossal courage always marching ahead of his times and recognizing no barriers to his pursuit of justice and fairness. His motivation was never for power but for compassion, his struggles were…
Tribute: Rabbi Saul Baron Jerusalem/Israel; formerly Bulawayo/Zimbabwe
Rabbi Isaacson was a phenomenal teacher and mentor. He was a mekarev, he came to Bulawayo and successfully taught and drew people to authentic Yiddishkeit and to love the Torah.He opened his house to everyone, taught us what a shabbos seudah was, how to sing zemiros, oneg shabbos, divrei Torah and whiskey 🥃. He was…
Tribute: David Linde formerly of Bulawayo/Zimbabwe
My family and I wish Rabbi Isaacson’s family long life. My father and I have many fond memories of Rabbi Isaacson. From discussing Torah to talking about the most recent cricket/rugby/soccer game that had just been played, Rabbi Isaacson was a font of knowledge and his insights will be sorely missed.
Tribute: Rabbi Hillel Bernstein Milnerton/Cape-Town
We all know how difficult it is to stand up for what we believe to be right, especially when so many people are against us. Even when one sees others behaving in a manner that is immoral it is still so difficult to stand out and go against the grain. In fact, the Talmud relates…
Tribute: South African Jewish Board of Deputies
Dear Isaacson FamilyWe would like to send you our condolences on the passing of your father Rabbi Ben Isaacson.He will be remembered not only as a congregational Rabbi and teacher, but also for his fierceand consistent opposition to the injustices of the apartheid era.May your special memories of your father bring you comfort during this…
Tribute: Ilana mercer – daughter Seattle/Washington/U.S.A
“My father, Rabbi Ben Isaacson, had a brilliant and original mind. Before his death, אבא was working on books about the greatest Hebrew prophets, who, indubitably, were his true muse. A column of mine, “Job: Jewish Individualist,” written for American readers and well-received by them, instantiates and is greatly influenced by his original thinking. I…
Tribute: Desmond/Careworker
I Desmond l so sorry he was my father and friend may his soul rest in peace l will never forgot him
Tribute: Craig Cowan London/U.K.
My dear friend, rabbi and teacher, Rabbi Isaacson.Mentor and educator extraordinaire, like no other. We travelled together from Morningside to Houghton to Highlands North…It was my privilege and my blessing that I had so much time with him while so many conveniently forgot about him. Always remembered for so much including his heroics, his passion,…
Tanya Silverman Givat Shmuel/Israel
I have very fond memories of “Madala” as we called Rabbi, as a note of respect and to distinguish him from Yoni, for whom I was working. We had many interesting conversations about life in general and his struggles during apartheid and I recall his immense love and adoration for his family. He gave me…
Tribute- Kidwell Serongwane Logistics Manager/Africa Kosher Safaris
Rabbi Bentzion Madala Isaacson was a great MAN and hope we keep his spirit alive by loving; honoring and more than anything caring for all no matter the color of their skin and wealth…. I will never ever forget the first day I met him and he reprimanded me and told me to hold my…
Tribute: Rabbi Mathew Liebenberg Claremont/Cape-Town
Rabbi Isaacson זצ”ל fought for human dignity and longed to see a democratic South Africa. He was an outspoken critic of apartheid and, unfortunately, did not receive the support he would have liked from the Jewish community. He sacrificed greatly to learn Torah at a very high level by travelling to Yeshiva overseas (Telz in…
Tribute: Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein Johannesburg/South-Africa
Dear friends, On behalf of the South African Jewish community, I would like to express sincerest condolences to the family of the Rabbi Avraham Benzion Isaacson, on his passing yesterday. I would like to pay tribute to Rabbi Ben Isaacson, of blessed memory, for his strong leadership and for his courageous, principled stand taken during the dark years of the…
The Struggle Rabbi 