Brownsville 1925-Melbourne, Heart of Gold, Gifted orator, Rav, Chasid & father - RC Dalfin

today is the yard site of RAB y Groner who was a of the laich community the kabat community in Melbourne Australia for nearly 50 years I personally owe RAB growner a lot because he married me he was the offici officiating Rabbi when I married in 1984 in Melbourne Australia to my wife who was then Basia sansy so meeting him then and then later meeting him in New York at various times and hearing from My Wife and others I want to tell you a little bit about him this was a person who was born in 25 and he was amongst those individuals who made a very big difference for Judaism for yish kite for Torah observance the likes OFA Feld of sh yosu Yesa the B Yesa who was a student of RAV hutner ritan Shanker the famous musician of MJ's music he brought back MJ's music SCH m carach m carach the world renowned composer and singer motivator and today they would call him influencer and someone who made thousands of Bali Chua and others his humble beginnings began in Brownsville Brooklyn Brownsville was known at the time in the 1920s and 30s as the yush of America Brownsville was full of shs people yeshivas it was a thriving and bustling Jewish Center Pitkin Avenue the famous Pitkin Avenue for those that have Nostalgia as part of their upbringing and other streets and you can still drive through there like I although today there is a Resurgence of aabad community there of some some form nevertheless by the by by and large it's not a a Jewish area to say the least there are buildings there that are still REM look like shoes they're no longer shoes unfortunately some are churches and other institutions RAB grona grew up there he went to K Berlin as a as a boy and then later as a young teenager RAB label groer told me that when Rabbi when his brother RAB Groner his older brother left for the kabad the new Kaba in 1940 that opened up that the fre made two of the best students or the best students ofin were all time and Groner and they left for new Yesa and RAB hutner the Riva was devastated and he told re Mor Groner the father of the groaners nothing will be of your son if you if you have him stay here by me in berin he'll become a great and a great on and on you're taking him to laich and as much as has is a and hutner respected greatly the and all that nevertheless as far as learning learning is here in the babich he'll get involved with other things Al Lo behold not only did he not did he not lose his learning he became a stronger that is both all time and it's Groner but we're talking about RAB Groner he became a r a massive R A person who I saw myself communicate with RAB Malo in questions and issues he became a father figure for jewelry in Australia AUST but before we get to Australia as a teenager as I said he he transferred TOA and he became aware of V the notable Mas of 770 Jacobson the notable Mas of 770 and other Simpson Paris a anyone and everyone that passed through 770 in the 40s Rabbi Groner them listen to them fa with them and later in his life he would always share things that he heard from these people in particular the the main his love for the and the the the memory had a phenomenal memory remembering the basic talks of the previous Reb that were printed it during that time he memorized I don't know if he knew all of it you know but he he knew he remembered tremendous amount and he lived it now knowing graab Groner he was he was a giant he was a tower figure he was what we call in hebra he spoke loud he presented himself he was a proud Jew it was a proud H and he was very talented he had a tremendous sweet and Powerful voice my wife tells me Anum Kipper during the AA when he and Al harmonized certain sections your your soul your Nisha would would would would have an Ascension it's like it would leave your body it was so Ze it was so beautiful listening to RAB Groner lead the prayers on the days of kipper he was an orator he was a gifted speaker the Reba sent him a many missions to do public speaking he didn't charge any money he went to India and here in England and Eric Jr and he spoke many times on behalf of theab laich he had a heart of gold he really did my wife tells me that every shabas he had his house was full of guests AR she tell me a few pra examples that she remembers it was a certain person who came to Rabbi Groner and said my son is involved with Buddhism and Eastern religions of philosophy you need to save him you need to help him grona said to the father have him move in with me in my f in my house here is his kids were growing up he had a large family seven eight nine children whatever the number exact number is and just come in we'll find him a place he came in he took students from the Yesa old the students to learn with them and he became a BBA with a beautiful family one of the was Ill while he was gr said come to the house until you recuperate and he was in the house for a long time till it became better and he went back to the Yeshiva the the the heart the giving the non-m materialism it's my house and it's my possessions and all of that this was Rabbi Groner he didn't know how to drive he didn't want to drive his wife didn't drive my wife had the privilege a few times to drive him and other people he took rides and he did what he had to he raised a lot of money funds for the Yeshiva he was brought to Australia initially by abalan sansky my wife Z to help raise funds for the institutions then he became the r the official kind of Rabbi because of his vast Torah knowledge and he also became the leader of theana the the primary school as the years went on and the re encouraged schim schis he got involved in that as well although I must tell you that initially he and of Chicago you know those that were yetu students and the previous didn't relate well to this idea going to college campuses you know things like that later on they they caught on because they saw that this is the right path but his being genuine you know without I am the head of the organization I am the boss I am the leader he knew very well who he is he used to even say it half jokingly you know who I am I'm label growner as older brother you know I remember him telling you that but it wasn't you know like therefore you can't sit next to me you better stand up for me no of that stuff none of that stuff he would teach gumar to women my wife's aunt and my wife's cousins and some others would attend on a weekly basis RAB Groner garish year and it was it wasn't just a stories of the gamorra it was it was a piece of gamorra which he explained which opened their minds intellectually and he was happy to do it and he did it with a commitment he was an emotional person he could talk about something and suddenly start crying you could see that he was he was in he was there he was living with it it wasn't just lip service what he spoke about he he experienced he went through remember growing up being born before the Holocaust and living through the Holocaust even though he was in America in that period and then seeing the development of Judaism of yish kite of T yish kite then being sent after doing work for the in I believe Rochester New York and Buffalo New York and many different things that the re the previous Reb and the re used for the benefit of yish kite of Judaism he goes off in the 50s 57 or so he goes off with his uh fledgling family to Melbourne in the beginning his wife you know it was hard to to acclimate herself to the community and she wanted to leave and the EBA wrote her a letter which is public and the said you want to be the captain of the ship or you just want to be uh an attendee a participant captain of the STP needs to take responsibility it's it's an amazing letter you should read it and they and they and and she remained and they built not just a family they built a community of course there were others who were helpful and were there before the fagins the five that the previous sent there Alto sansky gvic Kant bansky of course there were others but rabie Groner because he was an American he had that American Pride and with that American Pride he marched forward yes at times some of the Russians and others you know they weren't used to the style but he could only do it his way and no one's perfect and he did it his way and he created such a wonderful community his Hope was that his ways the way he was raised and the way he was taught by his teachers and the and the and the Mas would go over to the Next Generation the Next Generation and we hope and pray that everyone all those in his extended family will follow in his ways and use their talents in a way that they augment tit the observance of Mitzvah the teaching of T based on our M our tradition and for sure there's no question that what he wished for was that Messiah come and that it be speedily in our days and the of David Ben Groner was thas should have an Aliyah and only from his entire family his entire community that they should continue from strength to strength with the coming of Mia