It is with deep regret that YWN informs you of the sudden petirah of Harav Yosef Yitzchok Kalmanson zt”l, longtime Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Beis Dovid Shlomo in New Haven, Connecticut. COL reported that he was niftar suddenly on the first night of Rosh Hashanah at the age of 70.

Rav Kalmanson zt”l was a gaon both in nigleh and in Chassidus, known for his fiery hasmada, penetrating shiurim, and seforim filled with chiddushei Torah that spread throughout the olam haTorah.

Rav Yosef Yitzchok was born in France, one of a pair of twins to his parents, R’ Yekusiel Dovber and Rebbetzin Batsheva (née Rabinowitz) Kalmanson. His father was a devoted chossid of Lubavitch in Brunoy and served as a shadar for Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim, traveling to raise funds to sustain Torah learning.

As a young bochur, he learned in the yeshiva in Brunoy, where he was shaped by the influence of great mashpi’im and roshei yeshiva, including Harav Yosef Goldberg and Reb Nissan Nemanov zt”l. Already in his youth he distinguished himself through his deep attachment to divrei Torah, often spending long hours reviewing and analyzing the sichos and farbrengens of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

In 5738 (1978), with the bracha of the Rebbe, Rav Yosef Yitzchok founded the New Haven Yeshiva, which over time developed into a full mesivta and later a zal. For decades, he stood at its helm, shaping hundreds of talmidim with his brilliance in Torah and his devotion to their growth in both learning and avodas Hashem. His shiurim were known for depth, clarity, and a unique ability to connect the talmidim to the sugya until it became alive in their minds.

In 5748 (1988), Rav Kalmanson began publishing his monumental multi-volume work Reshimos Shiurim, containing his chiddushim on the masechtos learned in yeshivos. The seforim received warm haskamos from prominent roshei yeshiva and were eagerly awaited by rabbonim and talmidei chachamim. Many remarked that his seforim opened new vistas in learning, and they remain a lasting legacy of his geonus.

Rav Kalmanson’s stature was felt at the annual Yarchei Kallah of Chabad roshei yeshiva and mashpi’im, held each summer in Parksville, New York. There, his shiurim were delivered with a fiery clarity that left deep impressions on all who heard them. Fellow roshei yeshiva would often express awe at the hidden geonus of the Kalmanson brothers, whose Torah and avodah were revered.

On the first night of Rosh Hashanah, in the midst of Yom Tov, Rav Yosef Yitzchok suddenly took ill and was niftar, leaving a grieving family, talmidim, and an entire community bereft of his leadership and Torah.

Rav Kalmanson zt”l leaves behind his devoted rebbetzin, Mrs. Hindy (née Sanowicz), and their children: Mrs. Chani Altein (Pittsburgh, PA); Mrs. Nechama Hendel (Yerushalayim); Mrs. Menucha Schochet (Los Angeles, CA); Rav Mendel Kalmanson (London, England); Rav Yekusiel Kalmanson (Los Angeles, CA); and Rav Moishy Kalmanson (Rockwell, TX), along with many eineklach who follow in his ways.

He is also survived by his siblings: HaRav Yechiel Menachem Mendel Kalmanson (Rosh Yeshiva of Brunoy, France); Mrs. Doba Raiza Vorst (Amsterdam, Netherlands); Mrs. Chaya Uminer (Crown Heights); Mrs. Baila Goldstein (Crown Heights); HaRav Yisroel Shimon Kalmanson (Crown Heights); and Mrs. Shterna Spritzer (Crown Heights).

Yehi zichro baruch.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)