1. Letter by R. Abraham Hartzstein? of Linsk. 1935.
2. Long letter of Chiddushei Torah by Rabbi Abraham Yosef Weiss Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS.
N.Y. 1941. Three written sides. 25.4 Cm.
3. Letter of greetings & Ciddushei Torah by Rabbi Abraham Yosef Weiss Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS. N.Y. 1944. 28 Cm.
4. Letter with Chiddushei Torah by the Gaon Rabbi Shmuel Ahron Halevi Pardes. Chicago, 1946.
Two sides. 27.8 Cm.
5. Long letter of Chiddushei Torah by the Gaon Rabbi Yoel Fink to Rabbi Gershon Hager. 1948.
Four Written sides.28 Cm.
6. Long letter of Chiddushei Torah by Rabbi Abraham Yosef Weiss Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS.
N.Y. 1952. Six written sides. 26.7 Cm.
7. Condolence letter from Yeshiva Torah Voodath signed by Rabbi Alexander Sender Linchner (1908-1997). Son in law of the Gaon Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz. N.Y. 1965. 19.5 Cm.
8. Condolence letter from Rabbi Binyomin Zeev Jacobson (1894-1973). Jerusalem, 1973.
He was an active leader of Agudat Yisrael in Germany and in Switzerland. He served as rabbi in various communities, among them in Copenhagen, Denmark, until 1943. When the Germans seized Denmark during WWII, he escaped to Sweden and was active there in Vaad Hatzalah (Rescue Committee) in Stockholm. In 1961 he visited the United States.
The Gaon Rav Abraham Yosef Weiss was born in the Hungarian town of Nanash in the 1920’s to his parents, Reb Chaim Yeshaya and Mrs. Chana Mindel Weiss. His father, Reb Chaim Yeshaya, was a Chossid of the famed Rav Sholom Eliezer of Ratzferd, son of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. His father embodied the temimus and purity of heart of the Yidden who were raised in the Chassidic atmosphere of Hungary in the Late 1800’s.
In 1930, the Weiss family emigrated to the United States to escape the poverty of Europe during the Great Depression. Although young Yosef was only ten years old at the time, he never forgot the atmosphere and worldview of the shtetl of his youth. Despite the future blessed Torah influences in his life, for the rest of his life a significant part of his personality was shaped by the temimusdige, heimishe Yid who was born and raised in the European shtetl. In fact he often spoke about the influence his melamdim in Nanash had on him.
The Weiss family settled in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn and young Yosef was enrolled in Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. After graduating elementary school, he progressed to Mesivta Torah Vodaas High School where he became known for his brilliance and erudition. Years later, one of his grandchildren asked him what impact the legendary menahel of the yeshiva, Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz had on him. Rav Weiss responded that Rav Mendlowitz made a profound impression on him. Then, with the greatest enthusiasm and passion, he related that he still had notes on the shiurim in Mishlei that he had heard from Rav Shraga Feivel.
As he approached the end of his mesivta years at Torah Vodaas, there were plans for him to travel to the Kaminetz Yeshiva in Europe and learn under Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz, but due to various reasons, these plans did not work out. Rav Shraga Feivel recognized the potential of his young talmid, and when he heard that he was leaving Torah Vodaas he burst into tears.
A watershed in Rav Weiss’s life, came in his later teenage years when he went to learn in Yeshiva Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon under the great Rav Moshe Soloveitchik, oldest son of Rav Chaim Brisker who became his rebbi muvhak.
Shortly after his arrival in RIETS, Rav Weiss became very close with Rav Moshe Soloveitchik. Rav Moshe’s unique derech halimud that he received from his father, Rav Chaim Brisker, especially appealed to the young Rav Weiss and before long he not only became a close talmid but Rav Moshe, sensing his tremendous ability, soon appointed him the chozer, the one who would repeat and explain the shiur to other talmidim after the shiur.
In the late 1930’s, Rav Weiss, while still a bochur, was appointed chozer of Rav Moshe’s shiur. In 1939, Rav Weiss was given semicha by Rav Moshe Soloveitchik. In fact, there was a detailed report in prominent New York Newspapers on March 30, 1939, about the semicha class, specifically mentioning the newly appointed Rabbi, Rabbi Yoseph Weiss who had just been ordained by Rav Moshe Soloveichik.
In September 1939, he was asked to deliver a regular blatt shiur at RIETS and he continued to deliver that shiur for the next seven years until his marriage and for many years thereafter as well.
Rabbi Yoel Fink of Linsk-Liska. from the Zikney Chasidim of Chortkov. He was at the passing of the Admor Rabbi Dovid Moshe. He emigrated to the United States, where he served as a Rabbi in Yeshivas Torah Vdaas in Brooklyn New York.
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