Reb Benson Chanowitz - Torah Gemach, Chabad Yichus, warm & kind - Rabbi Chaim Dalfin

It's a tribute to Rabenian known as Benson Kanovis. I remember him in Yeshiva Labavich Shiva in the early 70s. He was a few grades older and uh but I do remember him. Didn't really get to know him well until um he started to purchase my books. He was a strong buyer and a strong reader of my now it's not about me it's about him but that was very interesting to me because I didn't really know him and uh I saw that he had a great interest in the reading and and delving into not only the text but the footnotes and it made for a good conversation over the years. Then I was invited to their shul basement in Flatbush on Avenue J in 17th or so and uh Ben was uh one of the main stays of that shul. No question about it from its inception at that location. I happened to be the original uh RV of that shul before it went to that location, but that's for another time, another story. Anyway, Benian was was very very interested in in learning and and listening. And uh we had we had a we had a a lot of time during those Shabbat tones that that I was invited to lead by Reverend Mosov to get to to see him in action. And of course, everyone knows that he made a tag. This is a very great thing. One of my friends, Rab Moshu Winsky, the Het in Portland, Maine, told me he has one of his cif one of his Torah scrolls. He somehow, I don't know how, but he he he he gathered all these terrorists, had them fixed, and then he loaned them out to people all over and others all over the country, and could be even outside of the country. He had a a kind heart, a very good heart. Somehow he was he he he he was connected to someone who paid who who sponsored Sarin and he he called me and he said you know I'd like to see if he'll be willing to you know sponsor your English soren for what regardless whether it worked it didn't work but the fact that it was on his mind so when I heard about his passing yesterday I just spoke talked to him a few months ago. He wanted he calls me. He wants to buy some more books, some of my new books, but he said he wasn't well enough at the time. So, um, we should talk a little later. And then I tried calling him later and he didn't pick up. And the next thing I knew, he was he returned his nishaba to Hashem. Benson Kanovitz. Benovitz is named after his the went I think 1934 to visit Lupoka in that whole region. You see that is very much part of that that that period. They just recently put out a chur of of kerchuk and kabad and uh everything that entailed and there's a lot there you know and Benian Benovitz the who Benson is named after is very much a a main player in that whole period. There's a lot of details there. It's interesting to read it. He was also related to the base rebel. So the is there and also of course who can forget the andba's secretary was um the the brother-in-law I believe of kanovitz. So the family has its yikus Benson with his good good work. I think he he was a pharmacist as well helping people and to his uh wonderful wife who I met when I was the other Shabbat and was interested in learning and knowing about they should help that there should be a good and he should go right into the of the and bring the back down with everyone else and we should Hanovitz.