A learned scholar in his own right, Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz humbly dedicated his life to furthering his spiritual growth, developing close relationships with many Chassidic Rebbes and mentors. He passed away on April 22 as a result of complications due to COVID-19.

Born in 1929 in Western Ukraine to a family directly descended from the Baal Shem Tov, Horowitz was educated by his father, the town rabbi, and his grandfather. Just a child when his family miraculously survived the years of World War II and the Holocaust, Horowitz spent time in a yeshivah in Paris before making it to the United States, where a gained a reputation as a serious and diligent student at the Mir yeshivah in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Soon after his marriage to Charna Breina, he discovered and was captivated by the Bobov Chassidic dynasty and its charismatic leader, Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, who rebuilt them movement decimated by the Holocaust to its pre-war glory.

Horowitz soon developed a personal connection with the Bobover Rebbe and became his lead attendant—a position that he held for Rabbi Shlomo’s successor, Rabbi Naftali Halberstam, and his successor, the current Bobover Rebbe, Rabbi Bentzion Halberstam.

Always seeking to learn and grow from others, Horowitz also studied the ways of many other Chassidic Rebbes based in New York, among them the leaders of the Satmer, Skver and Boyan dynasties. He used this valuable information to share with his impressionable students during his time as a teacher.

One mourner described his joy at being around young people, especially his grandchildren.

Horowitz is survived by two sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Readers are invited to express their condolences or memories of the departed in the Reader Comments box that follows this article.

To provide additional information for this article, or to submit the names and information about other Jewish victims of the coronavirus, please use this form.