Mrs. Pesel Olshin, a”h; Mother of BMG Rosh Yeshivah Harav Yeruchem Olshin

Hamodia- On Shabbos Parashas Bo, the Torah world bid a mournful farewell to Mrs. Pesel Olshin a”h, the mother of, ybl”c, Harav Yeruchim Olshin shlita, Rosh Yeshivah, Bais Medrash Govoha of Lakewood. She was remembered for her mesirus nefesh for Torah and selfless dedication to others. In her exceedingly simple Boro Park home, the nifteres merited to raise a family of celebrated marbitzei Torah.

In addition to Harav Yeruchim, her son Harav Shmuel Abba Olshin serves as Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivah Gedolah of Hillside, and her daughter, Rebbetzin Suri Hirth, is the wife of Harav Mordechai Hirth, nasi of Yeshivas Nefesh Hachaim of Lakewood.

She was 100 years old.

Mrs. Olshin was born in 1915 in Nuremberg, Germany. Her parents, Reb Yeruchim, z”l, and Faiga Leah Silber, a”h, were part of a kehillah of Jews from Poland who had settled in the city after the outbreak of the First World War. Despite the doors of western culture that were now available to them, the family held steadfastly to its mesorah and maintained its high spiritual standards.



In light of the increasing persecution from the Nazi regime, the Silbers immigrated to America in 1937. The family settled in the Bronx, where young Pesel and her sister worked hard to strengthen Torah life in the community. The two ran many “Bnos” groups and personally recruited students for the neighborhood’s first Bais Yaakov class.

In 1940 she married Reb Chaim Baruch Olshin, z”l. He had come to America in 1926, and had clung to Yiddishkeit at great personal sacrifice, and was among the leaders of Zeirei Agudath Yisrael in the Bronx. Shortly after their marriage, the couple settled in Boro Park and became pillars of the community.

Reb Chaim Baruch worked as a tailor and Mrs. Olshin served for 50 years as a secretary of Yeshivas Toras Emes-Kamenitz.

They raised their family in the same one bedroom apartment that they inhabited for more than half a century. As bare as their home was in physical possessions, it was full of chessed and kvod haTorah.

The levayah was held at Shomrei Hadas Chapels in Boro Park before continuing to Wellwood Cemetery in Long Island for kevurah.

Yehi Zichrah Baruch.