On Tuesday, February 5 / 30 Shevat 5779, Rosh Chodesh Adar I, the Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim held its Rosh Chodesh Adar Aleph seudah and conference in memory of Rav Gershon Tannenbaum, zt’l, the highly respected and esteemed director and menahel of the RAA/Igud for many years.
The seudah took place at the boardroom of Maimonides Medical Center. The host of the rosh chodesh seudah was the Hivnov Rav, Rabbi Avrohom Friedlander, who also serves as the rav of Maimonides Medical Center and the beis midrash of Maimonides Medical Center. The seudah was made possible by the generosity of Kenneth D. Gibbs, president and chief executive officer of the Maimonides Medical Center, and of Mr. Douglas Jablon, executive vice-president for patient relations of the Maimonides Medical Center. Close to 80 rabbis, family members, and friends of Rabbi Tannenbaum were in attendance.
Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a close friend of Rabbi Tannenbaum, gave the keynote address illustrating a few of the great accomplishments of Rabbi Tannenbaum. Assemblyman Hikind thanked the Igud for inviting him to speak at Rabbi Tannenbaum’s yahrzeit observance and said that he looks forward to continuing his near 40-year collaboration with the Igud HaRabbonim in advocating for Klal Yisrael.
Rabbi Aharon Pessin, av beis din, Ramot, Israel and author of close to 30 sefarim, a close student of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, gave a rousing and erudite dvar Torah v’halachah, which was wildly accepted and appreciated by the rabbis and people in attendance. Rabbi Yosef Chaim Perlman, dayan beis din, Igud HaRabbonim, gave a scholarly practical dvar halachah on hilchos gittin as they appeared before the beis din.
Rabbi Yehuda Leonard Blank, Rabbi Simcha Silverman, and Rabbi Gil Student, director of the halachah commission of the RAA/Igud, announced the establishment of the RAA/Igud’s Chaplaincy Commission in memory of Rabbi Tannenbaum.
Rabbi Tannenbaum was eulogized by Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht, presidium chairman of the RAA/Igud; Rabbi Yaakov Klass, presidium member of the RAA/Igud; Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, executive vice-president of the RAA/Igud; the Hivnov Rav, Rabbi Avrohom Friedlander, a close friend and confidant of Rabbi Tannenbaum; Rabbi Yehuda Leonard Blank; and by Rabbi Tannenbaum’s sons Rabbi Yitzchok Dov Tannenbaum and Rabbi Chaim Zev Tannenbaum.
