Mrs. Tova Aron, a pioneer of Orthodox Jewish education in Australia and a beloved educator and mentor, passed away on Wednesday, 4 Kislev, 5778.
She was 98 and passed away after a short illness.
Mrs. Aron and her husband R’ Ze’ev Aron merited to be pioneering figures of orthodox Jewish education in the Melbourne community, with Mrs. Aron herself pioneering the establishment of Moisdos Chinuch under the auspices of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Born to Meir Leibish and Pesel Pachtman in Leibzig, Germany in 1919, Mrs. Aron completed high school there and went on to continue her studies at the Wuerzburg Lehrer Seminary, a prestigious orthodox teachers college that set her on the path of Jewish learning that she would continue to develop for the next 70 years.
It was there that she developed her expertise in Chumash and Nach with commentaries that distinguished her to her contemporaries and many illustrious teachers. Her immense knowledge included the most obscure Seforim and Meforshim was nothing short of phenomenal. In 1938, the seminary was destroyed on Kristalnacht. With Hashem’s help, Mrs. Aron was fortunate to get a visa and move to England, enabling her to continue to her studies in Hebrew grammar at Leeds University and spend time in Gateshead.
After the war she came to Australia to marry R’ Ze’ev Aron and together they became the pioneers of orthodox Jewish education in Melbourne. While R’ Zev Aron became the principal of the Adass Yisroel day school, Mrs Aron was active in establishing moisdos of Chabad Chinuch in Melbourne.
Together with her colleague, Mrs. Susi Herz A’H, Mrs. Aron assisted in the foundation of the Herz kindergarten and primary school. In 1956 the kindergarten and school were established as the Beth Rivkah College under the auspices of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. In 1970, Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Groner invited Mrs. Aron to establish the Ohel Chana Seminary that has now been in operation for 47 years. She taught in the Chabad moisdos for well over 30 years and even after retirement continued to teach and mentor until the last days of her life.
As a tribute to Mrs. Aron’s dedication to these institutions, the Levaya passed by the Ohel Chana Seminary -Werdiger Learning Institute, and the Beth Rivkah Ladies College, where the students came out to greet the Levaya and recite Tehillim.
She is survived by her three sons Yossi שיחי, Avigdor שיחי and Raphael שיחי all of whom are heavily involved in Kehilla matters including Chinuch and outreach. She also leaves behind numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren ka”h– and thousands of talmidim and talmidos worldwide.
A website has been set up for the community to pay tribute to Mrs. Aron. The address is [email protected]
The Levaya took place in Melbourne.
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.
I had the amazing zchut to learn Hebrew and T’nach from Mrs. Aron z”l. Her excellent teaching skills equipped me with such a high standard of Hebrew that when I made aliya after high school I became integrated into university studies and Israeli life easily. When I later taught English as a second language I instinctively used many of Mrs. Aron’s methods.She was a true eyshet chayil and scholar. May she be a melitzat yosher for her family and kol am Yisrael.
Miriam (Stern) Sharon
Mrs Aron was the first young married woman in Melbourne to cover her hair. It was completely unheard of at the time, but to her it wasn’t even a question. (Lubavitch didn’t even exist in Melbourne at the time.)
Mrs. Aron obm, was a true Eisher Chayil and merited to arichas yomim. Fabulous teacher, forty years later still remember what she taught!
a woman to be emulated
a life to be celebrated
baruch dayan emes
esther serebryanski
I had the privilege of teaching together with Mrs Aron my first years at Beth Rivkah secondary.
What a wealth of knowledge. So approachable. Much much better then “Google”. Her passion for tanaach was infections , making me enthusiastic to walk into my classroom to share what I just learned from Mrs Aron
An exceptional teacher, a warm and caring, persona dug a Chaya and a ledger in her time. A truly exceptional woman. I was one of those who had the zechus of attending the weekly shiur in her home after we completed high school. Thank you Mrs Aron and Mr Aron