Rabbi, known as Reb Aryeh, was an Orthodox rabbi dubbed the "Father of Prisoners" for his visits to members of the Jewish underground imprisoned in the Central Prison of Jerusalem in the Russian Compound during the British Mandate. He was also known as the "Tzadik ("saint") of Jerusalem" for his work on behalf of the poor and the sick. was born near the village of Urla, near Bialystok, northern Lithuania, to Binyamin Beinish and Ethel Levin. He had two older sisters, Miriam and Faige. From his father, Aryeh acquired a love of Torah learning. He was tutored by local teachers until the age of 12, and then left home to attend the great yeshivas of Slonim, Slutsk, Volozhin and Brisk. In 1931, at the request of the British Mandate, Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook appointed Reb Aryeh Levin the official Jewish Prison Chaplain, a position he informally had filled since 1927. He accepted on the condition that he receive no pay. He would walk from his home in Nachlaot to visit the Jewish prisoners held in the Russian Compound on charges of arms possession or smuggling. Most of the prisoners were members of the Palmach, Haganah, Irgun or Lehi. Levin prayed with the prisoners and conveyed messages to their families. He was also known for his visits to the sick, especially patients who had no family of their own. He would sit for hours near the beds of the sick, especially at Bikur Cholim hospital in Jerusalem. He also a frequent visitor at hospitals for lepers, including a hospital in Bethlehem where most of the patients were Arabs.
Rabbi, known as Reb Aryeh, was an Orthodox rabbi dubbed the "Father of Prisoners" for his visits to members of the Jewish underground imprisoned in the Central Prison of Jerusalem in the Russian Compound during the British Mandate. He was also known as the "Tzadik ("saint") of Jerusalem" for his work on behalf of the poor and the sick. was born near the village of Urla, near Bialystok, northern Lithuania, to Binyamin Beinish and Ethel Levin. He had two older sisters, Miriam and Faige. From his father, Aryeh acquired a love of Torah learning. He was tutored by local teachers until the age of 12, and then left home to attend the great yeshivas of Slonim, Slutsk, Volozhin and Brisk. In 1931, at the request of the British Mandate, Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook appointed Reb Aryeh Levin the official Jewish Prison Chaplain, a position he informally had filled since 1927. He accepted on the condition that he receive no pay. He would walk from his home in Nachlaot to visit the Jewish prisoners held in the Russian Compound on charges of arms possession or smuggling. Most of the prisoners were members of the Palmach, Haganah, Irgun or Lehi. Levin prayed with the prisoners and conveyed messages to their families. He was also known for his visits to the sick, especially patients who had no family of their own. He would sit for hours near the beds of the sick, especially at Bikur Cholim hospital in Jerusalem. He also a frequent visitor at hospitals for lepers, including a hospital in Bethlehem where most of the patients were Arabs.
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Aryeh Leib son of Binyamin Beinish
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