Chaim Kanievsky

Who was Chaim Kanievsky?

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky was born in Pinsk, Poland (now in Belarus), to Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, known as the "Steipler Gaon", and Rebbetzin Miriam Karelitz (Pesha Miriam: Pesha was added), sister of Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, known as the "Chazon Ish".

When Kanievsky was six years old, the family moved to Mandatory Palestine. After his immigration, he never left the country, even briefly. He was known as a child prodigy with a photographic memory, able to elucidate complicated rabbinic teachings despite his youth. During the 1947–1949 Palestine war, Kanievsky, then a student at the Lomza Yeshiva, served in the Israel Defense Forces, guarding at an outpost overlooking Jaffa.

Kanievsky was married to a daughter of Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, Batsheva Elyashiv, who died in 2011. They had eight children.

Kanievsky was the official rabbi and spiritual guide for the non-profit organization Belev Echad, which was founded in Israel in 2011 and was dedicated to assisting sick and disabled children and adults. He received thousands of visits every year from Jews seeking religious and Halachic advice.

Kanievsky died at his home in Bnei Brak on March 18, 2022, at the age of 94. Close to 800,000 mourners attended his funeral on March 20, making it the second largest funeral in Israel's history.