Elazar Kalman (E.K.) Tiefenbrun, a Chassidic artist whose portraits of famous rabbis grace Jewish homes, community centers and classrooms throughout the world, passed away on Jan. 31 in London. He was 88 years old.
He had never set out to be an artist, nor did he ever receive formal training. His rare talent was a gift that he simply discovered, as if by accident. But for a Chassid there are no accidents, and there are no free gifts. His talent provided him not only with an opportunity, but with a responsibility, with a mission.
Tiefenbrun, who was born and raised in London, began corresponding with the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—in the late 1950s. At the time, he was a representative of the Torah-education organization Chinuch Atzmai, and the Rebbe encouraged him in his work. Their early correspondence also reflects a growing spiritual awakening on Tiefenbrun’s part. With the Rebbe’s encouragement, he began to delve into Chassidic teachings, establishing a regular study session in Tanya, the foundational work of Chabad thought. With the passage of time, he would become a central pillar of London’s Chabad community, where he was well-known for his warmth and gentle spirit. Despite his success and renown, his persona was not that of an artist but of a modest and sincere Chassid, dedicated to his Rebbe and to his community.
Tiefenbrun first painted the Rebbe’s portrait in 1967. Portraits of the Rebbe were not widely distributed in those days, and Tiefenbrun was initially unsure whether or not the Rebbe would approve. He sent the portrait to the Rebbe, asking for his consent and blessing for success in distributing it. Initially, the Rebbe did not respond explicitly but continued to encourage him in “all” his activities. Shortly thereafter, the Rebbe asked him to modify the portrait so that he wouldn’t look so serious, but emphasized that he shouldn’t go to great lengths to make any changes. “The main thing that is relevant,” he would subsequently emphasize, “is the response of those who see it.” On one occasion, when Tiefenbrun visited him in New York, the Rebbe told him that he has a special ability “to express Yiddishkeit,” the authentic Jewish spirit, through his paintings.
Indeed, Tiefenbrun paintings are easily recognizable for the warmth of their color palate and for the vibrancy of their spirit. His portraits of rebbes and of rabbis are not merely lifelike, but alive. They are not nostalgic conjurings of the past, but communicate the dynamic fire of real presence, bringing that fire into homes and classrooms in every Jewish community. Tiefenbrun has a good chance of being the most ubiquitous Jewish artist of our time. Although he was a Chabad Chassid, he did not only paint the portraits of the Chabad Rebbes.
His repertoire included Torah scholars such as the Netziv of Volozhin (Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Berlin, 1816-1893), the Steipler Gaon (Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, 1899-1985) and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895-1896); Chassidic rebbes such as the Yismach Moshe (Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, 1759-1841), The Trisker Maggid (Rabbi Avraham Twersky, 1806-1889) and Rabbi Aharon Rokeach of Belz (1880-1957); and Sephardi Torah sages such as the Ben Ish Chai (Rabbi Yosef Hayyim of Bagdad, 1835-1909) and the Baba Sali (Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, 1889-1984).
Over the course of many decades, he merited to have a special relationship with the Rebbe, who continuously encouraged him and inquired about his paintings. In 1972, he received a personal letter from the Rebbe’s wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, thanking him for his thoughtful gift of a portrait of her husband. On the evening following the joyously spiritual festivities of Simchat Torah in 1978, the Rebbe gave him a bottle of spirits and told him to mix it into his paint. On one occasion, Tiefenbrun mentioned to the Rebbe that people had suggested he paint portraits of a wider range of people, perhaps even the British royal family. The Rebbe responded that from the perspective of Jewish law he saw no obstacle, but nevertheless advised him to stick to his spiritual mission as a Jewish artist.
Rabbi Tovia Preschel, a scholar and bibliographer who among other achievements was a contributor to the Encyclopedia Talmudit, wrote that Tiefenbrun’s pictures communicate “the ideals and moral excellence, [that] the portrayed personalities represent . . . Looking at his impressive life-size portraits, you feel as if you were in the presence of these great and holy men.”
Tiefenbrun also played an early role in bringing broadcasts of the Rebbe’s talks to a global audience. In 1970, an address by the Rebbe was transmitted to Israel over phone lines for the first time. Interested in seeing how the Rebbe’s words could be broadcast to the Jewish community in London as well, Tiefenbrun began experimenting with HAM Radio and other technologies. Contacting a yeshivah student named Yonasan Hackner for technical advice, the two began work that ultimately would become WLCC—World Lubavitch Communications Center—a communication hub in New York from which the Rebbe’s talks were ultimately broadcast to more than 600 locations around the world.
Tiefenbrun is survived by his wife, Arlette Tiefenbrun, and their children: Rabbi Aharon Tiefenbrun (London), Rabbi Elimelech Tiefenbrun (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Rabbi Naftoli Tiefenbrun (London) and Ronya Fajnland (Long Beach, Calif.); in addition to grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son Yosef Yitzchak Tiefenbrun.
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