A major light from the Torah learning community went out this week, with the passing of Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Aharon Turchin. Turchin lived in Bnei Brak but ran a yeshiva in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem.
He was hospitalized in Ichilov hospital last week after contracting COVID-19.
News of Rabbi Turchin’s health declining spread quickly among Torah scholars. Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky requested that the Rabbi receive another name, in the hopes that the name's merits would improve his health. Unfortunately these efforts in the spiritual realm, together with the best efforts of hospital staff, were not enough to save the Rabbi’s life.
He left behind a widow and 14 children, 5 of whom are married. Heartbreaking wedding photos show a large clan of happy, red-haired children, blissfully unaware that they would lose their father to a global pandemic.
Rebbetzin Tuchin is now left to raise 9 children alone, under lockdown. The conditions are harsh: Many things are hard to get, and the city is already sinking under the tremendous financial pressure imposed by the virus. Donations have begun to trickle into an emergency fund to help keep the family afloat.
Any and all help is much needed and appreciated.