The funeral of Rabbi Aryeh Stern, former Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, was held today (Thursday) at Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva after he passed away overnight at the age of 81.
Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Kalman Ber, delivered a eulogy, saying: “Rabbi Stern was a man of truth-even when the truth was not pleasant. ‘Jerusalem will raise its voice’-because his voice is missing. He sought to unite people and connected with groups from every sector, including Mea Shearim, in order to fight for the sanctity of Shabbat. He was humble and convened rabbis from all communities at least once a month in order to jointly decide halachic matters."
The Rosh Yeshiva of Mercaz HaRav, Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, also eulogized him: “Jerusalem was privileged to place Rabbi Stern at its head. Rabbi Aryeh-true to his name-was brave as a lion. He faced many trials, including in public life, yet all of them always led him back to the study hall. He merited raising many students-and we were privileged to have him."
Former Chief Rabbi Rabbi David Lau also spoke, saying: “Rabbi Stern felt every offense to the honor of Shabbat as a personal injury. It pained him deeply. He nullified himself only in order to continue the path of Rabbi Kook through ‘Halacha Brurah.’ The honor of Heaven mattered deeply to him."
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Beit El Yeshiva, said: “Rabbi Aryeh merited spending all his years engaged in halacha. He had a straightforward way of directing every discussion toward its conclusion. Rabbi Aryeh was a man of unity-the Holy One loves a place where everyone is together. Both in his Torah study and in his personality, he always aspired to connect people."
Among those attending the funeral were numerous leading rabbis and public figures from the religious Zionist community.
Rabbi Stern stood for decades at the center of the Torah and educational work of Israel’s religious Zionist community. He served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, as a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, and as head of the “Halacha Brurah and Birur Halacha" Institute.
He is survived by his wife, Miriam-Yocheved, and seven children. Among them are Yekira, wife of Rabbi Amotz Kurtztag; Sarah, wife of Rabbi Yitzhak Samuel; Rachel, wife of reserve Colonel Rabbi Yishai Eitan; and Rabbi Yechezkel Stern, who serves as a senior lecturer at the yeshiva in Carmiel.
The family also carried for years the pain of the loss of their daughter Shira, who was killed in a car accident in 2007 at the age of 21-an event that left a deep mark on the family and those close to Rabbi Stern.