By COLlive and Chabad.org reporters
R’ Sholom Ber Raskin, a member of a respected chassidic family and an active figure in the Chabad community in London, England, for the last 60 years, passed away Monday, Cheshvan 17, 5774.
He was 88.
Born in Babruysk, Belarus, he grew up in a Jewish home infused with religious dedication and self-sacrifice, but under the constant watch of Soviet authorities, Chabad.org has written about his family.
His parents, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef and Draizah Raskin, were forced to move the family to Leningrad, Russia, after his father was imprisoned for his dedication to strengthening Judaism and performing circumcisions against official prohibitions.
In Leningrad, today known as S. Petersburg, Raskin’s father took up a job in a factory, but in keeping with his religious beliefs, refused to work on the Sabbath.
During World War II and the infamous Siege of Leningrad, the family miraculously made it out of the city. They moved to Alma Ata, Kazakhstan, where they helped take care of the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson OBM, during his final months of life.
R’ Sholom Ber Raskin would vividly recall the merit his family had to serve the chief rabbi and scholar who composed myriad glosses on Kabbalah and has been exiled there for his steadfast commitment to Judaism.
Following the war, the Raskins fled Russia with falsified Polish passports and made it to the displaced persons camp in Pocking, Germany. From there, they traveled to Paris, and R’ Sholom Ber learned in the village of Burnoy.
He soon set out to become a shochet and traveled to study the laws of ritual slaughtering with Rabbi Zalman Shimon Dvorkin, who would become the rabbi of the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn.
R’ Sholom Ber got married in 1951 to his wife Rivka (nee Shapiro) and settled in London, as the Chabad community was beginning to grow with no little assistance from him. In fact, his son Dayan Levi Raskin serves today as the rabbi of the community.
In addition to being a shochet for the London Beis Din, R’ Sholom Ber was also a mohel, a baal tefila (chazzan), baal koreh (reader of the Torah), baal tokeah (shofar sounder) and gabbai at the main Chabad shul in Lubavitch House in Stamford Hill.
He is survived by his wife Mrs. Rivka (Riva) Raskin and their children Mrs. Bluma Jacobs – Amersfoort, Holland; R’ Shaya Raskin – London, England; Rabbi Menachem Mendel Raskin – Melbourne, Australia; R’ Yerucham Raskin – London, England; Mrs. Suri Shtrocks – Morristown, NJ; Mrs. Chana Gourarie – Oak Park, MI; R’ Benny Raskin – Crown Heights; Dayan Levi Raskin – London, England; grandchildren; great grandchildren.
He is also survived by his sister Mrs. Tzivia Brafman of Kfar Chabad, Israel. He was predeceased by his brothers R’ Mendel Raskin of Kfar Chabad, Chairman of the Central Lubavitch Youth Organization and 770 Yeshiva Rabbi Dovid Raskin and the Shliach in Casablanca, Morocco, Rabbi Leibel Raskin.
The Levayoh will take place Tuesday at 2:00 pm, from Schonfeld Square N16, will stop at Lubavitch House, 107-115 Stamford Hill, N16 5RP on way to Adath Yisroel Beis Ha’Chyim in Catherhatch Lane, Enfield EN1 4JY.
The family will be sitting shivah in London.
Email for Nichum aveilim: [email protected]
Baruch dayan haemes.
I remember R. Raskin coming to our house for one of the brisin. He threw the baby up in the air, and I thought goodness – I hope he catches him …. BH he did!
NDN
Yes, indeed Ester, they were wonderful memories. All the old memories, Berel Lewin a”h Ovadiah Schtroks a”h and Sholom Ber a”h davening on Yom Tov in years gone by
Faigie Rabin
Every year, before Shofar, I do not hear the Baal Tokeah in our shul in Toronto cry out the Min Hamaytsar. It is only Zaide Raskin’s voice I hear. For all these years his haunting, sweet melody has never been replaced. I hear it loudly, and add his memorable inflections when I repeat the words. As a girl I always wondered what went through his head when those verses would ring out from his mouth. Certainly he prepared us all to hear the awesomeness of the Shofar. I also remember him laining the Megillah and yelling, NU NU when the… Read more »
Zaide we miss you already!
Thank you to those that put up their names. Your reports are heartwarming, though more so when we know who you are.
Suri and sisters
eli lawrerence
Mrs. R Raskin & son Mr. A Y Raskin +447866576029
Rabbi MM Raskin & Mr Y Raskin +447916321566
Rabbi CB Raskin & Dayan LY Raskin +447940258497
Mrs B Jacobs +447774928821
Mrs S Shtrocks +447709664713
Mrs C Gourarie +442088024898 – They can all be contacted on this number too.
chanie g.
your father was really a special person. he is, and will be, rememered by many.
may we merit the coming of moshiach bekorov mamosh, vehokitzu shochnei ofor, vehu betochom.
wishing you all the best, and no more agmas-nefesh.
i remember rabbi raskin coming to detroit to do the brisim of his grandchildren the Gourarie boys. he made a strong impression on me as a eideler real frum chassidisher yid. i specially remember chaim gourarie’s bris because rabbi raskin was mohel and sandek together.
a resident of detroit michigan
Thank you for bringing back that memory of helping Reb Sholom Ber A”H put away the collapsible Bimah.
to the Family, Hamokom yenachem eschem
Reb sholom ber a”h was a very special man with many talents. Not only was he the mohel of myself and my 3 brothers, but he also taught me how to lain and daven by the omud,without actually teaching me. Whatever I know today was just from hearing him daven and lain. He probably never knew I was his student, so I definitely owe him hakoras hatoiv. As a former classmate of the dayan , yibodel lechaim toivim I send him my condolonces and to the entire raskin family. Hamokom yenachem eschem besoich shear availai tzion viyerusholayim. An ex brit… Read more »
Rabbi Raskin brissed five of our seven sons and each one with love and care – and warm kiruv to a mum who was finding her way in Lubavitch in those days. And always enquired after the family as the years went by. I have such good memories of him.
Sora Feldman
The Raskins were the very first family I stayed with during my first Shabbos in Lubavitch at the age of 12. They were my dugma chaya in so many ways. I’ll never forget the gentle hiss of their Shabbos urn, and their beautiful Shabbos table with “so many” ka”h children seated together … I who had always thought that 3 kids was “so many”. Mrs Raskin, tzu lange gute un zeese yohren, your family has been an inspiration to me, and Chanie and Suri – I owe you so much that words simply can’t express it all. And of course,… Read more »
He did my bris too and as a child I sat next to him in shule.
A true chosid and a special neshoma.
To all the Raskin family, Hamokom yenachem eschem besoch shear aveilei Tzion viYerushalayim. As is evident from all these posts, he left a strong impression on so many of us who grew up in Lubavitch in London . He loved children and always smiled with a twinkle in his eyes ( and pinched our cheeks when we were little. I remember how ( this is really the old days!) he would sometimes let us help after Shabbos when he would pack away the collapsible bima in shul and roll it under the stage, and we would ride on it. His… Read more »
I have memories of Rabbi Raskin pinching my cheeks when i was a very little girl.
What always impressed me was that Rabbi Raskin would make kiddush for the women in Lubavitch house. But he always waited patiently until his wife would come in the room, and only then would he make kiddush for everyone.
Rifky Lent, Dublin
Reading all the beautiful comments written about R’ Raskin O”H, just one thought comes to mind; is there any chance that the people who send in their comments/stories/brochos etc SIGN their name at the end, so that the family can know who actually sent it, and appreciate it all the more.
Its most frustrating when ithe sender is unknown, and truthfully, why not write your name at the end of the day?
You’re doing a positive, beautiful thing by sharing
Your loss is great.
Hamakom yinachem eschem b’soch shaar avilei tzion v’Yerushalaim.
Shimon and Yehudis Leiter
And he did all their brissim
to mrs. chanie gourarie,
with you in your pain and sorrow.
your father a”h was a great man. a true example of a chasidisher yid. he will be fondly remembered.
hamokom yenachem eschem …
When my husband served as a military chaplain in the Air Force, we were stationed in the UK. Rabbi Raskin, obm, was the mohel who would perform brissim for families needing his services. He would also bring along the some kosher food to make sure that things were done right. I will not go into details about what happened to the food,or the ambiance at one of the brisim, but Rabbi Raskin demonstrated his wonderful sense of humor. When I was learned that I was going to become a mother, I assumed that if I had a boy the good… Read more »
Sad to hear. He was a good person with a good sense of humor. To add to what others have written, I remember growing up in London, he would Farbreng on Shaoobs Chof Av and retell the stories of when he was at the Rebbe’s father’s side during his last months. He used to give us kids who lived on his side of town a ride home from Shul, and would poke us with his keys when he walked into Shul. Beside his driving that was a good thrill in risk taking, he was always very warm and kind, with… Read more »
He was my moel as well as my six brothers
A fonder part of our (stamford hill )childhood memories , and I can totally resonate with those poke comments 🙂
From your grandchildren and great grandchildren Melbourne Australia
Hamokoim ynachem eschem bsoich shar availey tzion veyrusholaim.
Avremel & Hindie Silver
boruch dyin hoemes!
your grandchildren and great grandchildren, Montreal
A true Chosid, I have fond memories of Reb Sholom Ber,,
Always a smile, always asked me how I am doing. I learned how to be a baal koreh just by listening to him every shabbos,
Mat the whole family be comforted,,
BDE a great loss to the community. His memory and passion for yiddishkeit will live on through his wonderful family and extended family.
from milano italy !!!! menahem-mendel-hilel ben rivke !!! and family !!!! gansburg !!!!
What a wonderful mohel he was; each baby and their mother were treated with such love and tender care. Has anyone any idea of how many brissim he did? He will be so sadly missed
A prominent figure of Lubavitch (London) and the wider community, A Mohel like no other, a ba’al Koreh yet to be matched who will be remembered for years to come.
Personally, used to get my cheeks pinched! – fond memories.
Wishing Mrs Raskin and the family Arichas Yomim.
31 years ago at the age of 13 I had the zchus to stay with the raskin family for a few weeks. It was a great experience to see the warm hachnosas orchim among many things Rabbi raskin helped me prepare the leining megilas esther he would listen and correct me etc..
To those of you who wrote ‘he was my mohel!’ When he did my son, 20 years ago, he told us he had done nearly 5000 brisim, including arabs!!!
No 6 -Thanks for the reminder about the pokes!!!
I have wonderful memories of Sholom Ber from childhood right the way through until now. He with his wonderful wife had me over shabbos and yom tov and then had our children stay with them while in school in London.
As a child he used to tease me and say I will do your sons brisim and so it came true. He came to Birmingham and did our son’s bris.
To all the family hamokem eschem besoich aveilei tzion veyerushalayim.
Shmuel and Leah Rivka Arkush
Bd’e
The most intimidating man in Stamford Hill, and the most giving one at the same time. He made noise when it was quiet, and he was quiet when others were making noise. He was first for every single type of Kdusha expression, and was last in demanding kovod and attention. A beautiful sweet N’shomoh. There will never be another like him.
His son Rabbi mendel Raskin Melbourne Australia was my sons mohel he is a great mohel like father like son
To Auntie Riva,our dear Sister in law Suri and the rest of our Raskin cousins.Hamokom Yenachem Eschem Besoch Aveilei Tzion VeYerushalayim. May the Aibishter give you strength. We hope to get through on the phone. From Falik and Simie
Thinking of u.Hamakom yinachaim eschem bisoch shiar aveilei tzion v’yerushalyim.You should have only revealed good from now on.
EF
BDE
love you Zaida, so much :'( :/
BDE your zaidy was someone will never forget .. May we only share good times and simchos here on ..
mrs. refson is daughter of reb heishkeh raskin zol zain gezunt who is a first cousin of SBR
I had my Bris by Sb RASKIN! Amazing mohel
Our sincere nichumim and condolences to Dayan Raskin and the whole choshuveh mishpacha on the passing of their beloved father.
Rabbi Yisroel Rubin, Shluchim and Anash of Albany NY
We miss you, zeide
Suri we are so sorry for your loss. our hearts and thoughts are with you. We’re thinking of you here on TW
Is mrs. Refson of leeds not another daughter as well? I’m not quite sure bur i believe so..
He was my Mohel too! He was s great man, and some 1 to look up too. Ill never 4 gdt him,
Hamokom Yenachem Eschem Besoch Avlei Tzion Veyerushalayin.
I met him a few times as a teenager in London, but he left a strong impression on me that this is what it meant to be a Shtarke Ehrliche Chosid.
For sure he will for be a guter beter for his family, who should only have Simchas
AN Gordon, Brooklyn NY
May the family know from only good
he was a great guy remember him form younger days very eidel and quite about him self there family helped alot off people during the war
Zeide always had a smile on his face, a happy, calm front and quietly shared his love
He was my brother’s mohel
so sad to hear of this terrible news may the family only know simchas
Sholom Ber Raskin was a man with great joy for life and the children around. As a child growing up in Stamford hill I often heard him lain from the Sefer Torah and would oftern get a poke in the ribs from him. I shall remember him fondly and the days long gone. May he rest in peace and may we see the geulah speedily.
really sad
BDE
We are sorry about your lost.
He left an amazing example to follow.
Hamokom yenachem eschem besoch shear avlei tziyon veyerushslaim.
BDE
May his family only know of simchas
Chanoch Sufrin.
BDE