The world of Chabad and Jewish music suffered a tremendous loss on Tuesday with the passing of the legendary baal tefillah and chazzan, Reb Berel (Berel’e) Salzman z”l of New Jersey, at the age of 92. Renowned for a voice that stirred countless hearts, Rav Berel lived a life of extraordinary mesirus nefesh, operating an underground yeshivah in Soviet Samarkand under the watchful eye of the KGB and later meriting to serve as baal tefillah for the Rosh Hashanah Mussaf in the presence of the Lubavitcher Rebbe at 770.
A living symbol of Jewish resilience behind the Iron Curtain, Rav Berel devoted his life to preserving Yiddishkeit under Communist oppression. His remarkable musical gifts became a powerful instrument for spreading the light of Chassidus and inspiring Jews who had been cut off from their heritage.
He was born in 1934 in Kharkov, Ukraine, to his father, Reb Avrohom Salzman, a member of a distinguished family known for its deep roots in chazzanus and Jewish music.
From a young age, his extraordinary talent was impossible to miss. In the clandestine shul where his family quietly maintained Torah life despite the harsh Soviet regime, worshippers predicted that the gifted youngster was destined for greatness in the world of niggun and tefillah.
As he grew older, Rav Berel became a well-known figure in Soviet public life, performing as a popular classical and contemporary vocalist on state radio networks. Yet even as his fame grew, his true passion remained the spiritual survival of his fellow Jews.
He later married his wife, Chaya Esther, daughter of Rav Yehuda Butrashvili zt”l.
Alongside his public career, Rav Berel became deeply involved in the Chabad underground. For several years, he hosted a secret yeshivah in his home in Samarkand, placing himself at enormous personal risk while operating under the noses of Communist authorities.
For fourteen years, he served as a chazzan and baal tefillah in underground batei knesses, using his powerful voice and mastery of Chassidic niggunim to inspire and reconnect countless young Jews who had become detached from their roots.
Later, he was appointed chief chazzan of a major shul in one of the Soviet Union’s principal cities. He was even offered the prestigious position of chief chazzan of Moscow’s Great Synagogue, but declined, fearing that accepting the role would jeopardize his efforts to leave the Soviet Union.
After five long and difficult years of battling Soviet bureaucracy, Rav Berel finally received permission to leave the country in 1971.
Together with his wife and six children, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of reaching Eretz Yisroel, leaving behind decades of sacrifice, hardship, and persecution.
That same year, before the Yomim Noraim, he traveled for the first time to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
A devoted Chabad chossid through even the darkest years of Soviet oppression, Rav Berel was granted the extraordinary privilege of leading the Rosh Hashanah Mussaf at 770 at the Rebbe’s direction.
Those who were present never forgot the awe-inspiring tefillah. His stirring voice reverberated through the walls of the packed beis medrash and left an indelible impression on thousands of chassidim.
Following that unforgettable Tishrei, Rav Berel received numerous offers to remain abroad and serve as chazzan in prominent and affluent Jewish communities. Nevertheless, he followed the Rebbe’s guidance and settled in Nachalas Har Chabad in Kiryat Malachi, where he established his home among fellow chassidim.
In 1980, once again acting on the Rebbe’s instruction and recognizing the tremendous need to reach Russian-speaking Jews, he relocated to the United States. He began working extensively with Soviet Jewish immigrants in Los Angeles, where he quickly became a beloved and revered figure.
In 1992, Rav Berel and his wife moved to Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where they founded the Bris Avrohom community for Russian Jews. There, they continued spreading Chassidus, ahavas haTorah, and a love for heartfelt tefillah.
Rav Berel leaves behind a remarkable legacy of Chassidic music, unwavering faith, and total dedication to ensuring Jewish continuity even during the most difficult periods of Jewish history.
He is survived by a beautiful generation of children, grandchildren, and descendants continuing in his path: his son Rav Yosef Yitzchok Salzman, a Chabad shliach in Toronto; his son Rav Boruch Mordechai Salzman, founder and menahel of Yeshivas Or Temimim in Toronto; his son Rav Menachem Mendel Salzman, Chabad shliach in Fair Lawn; his daughter Mrs. Shaindel Braud, wife of Rav Shraga Feivel Braud of Crown Heights; his daughter Mrs. Rivkah Sirota, wife of Rav Aharon Sirota, Chabad shliach in Denver; his daughter Mrs. Sterna Sarah Kanelsky, wife of Rav Mordechai Kanelsky, who works extensively with Russian Jewish communities through Bris Avrohom; and his daughter Mrs. Rochel Matusov, wife of Rav Menachem Mendel Matusov, a Chabad shliach in Calgary.
The levayah was held today at 770 Eastern Parkway, the world headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch, on its way to Montefiore Cemetery in Queens for kevurah.
Yehi zichro boruch. Tehei nishmaso tzerurah b’tzror hachaim.
{
Matzav.com}