I haven’t read even one comment about “the Avraham Yehoshua Heschel” the Kapishnitzer Rebbe z’tzal. The Kapishnitzer Rebbe was a first cousin to Professor Heschel and also his brother-in-law. The Rebbe maintained a close relationship with Professor Heschel and Professor Heschel attended many of The Rebbe’s Tishen. They sat shiva together when the Rebetzin was niftar.
The Kapishnitzer Rebbe had an open heart and open arms for anyone and everyone who sought him out, despite his politics or his level of Yiddishkeit.
Rav Aharon Kotler z’tzl referred to the Kapishnitzer Rebbe as
“The Goan of Chessed”. The Rebbe immigrated to the US during the war from Vienna and settled on The Lower East Side of New York on Henry Street. The word quickly spread of his presence and gadlus and thousands flocked to him for a bracha, an eitza or some other type of help. There are hundreds of accounts of things that he did, many of them recorded in books that are readily available today. He was a central member of Vaad Hatzalah and worked tirelessly to help save yidden from the European inferno. He was also a member of The Moetzes Gedolei Torah of Agudas Yisroel. He was loved and respected by all, Chassidish, Litvish, Sfrardic, Ashckenazic. Many factions who did not get along with each other but all loved and respected The Rebbe. His advice was sought on community issues by many of the other Gedolim. Millions of dollars went thorugh his hands for tzedokah, everyone knew he was the most trustworthy person and therefore trused him to disperse their tzedokah funds.
I could write and write and not touch the tip of the iceberg about the gadlus and helligkeit of The Kapishnitze Rebbe. Ask the oldtimers who lived on the Lower East Side and then The Rebbe established a Bais Medrash in Boro Park on 55th Street. His anivus, ehrlichkeit and gadlus are legendary.
In our day and age you can even google him. But whatever you read is but a dot on a canvas of who this Rebbe was and how many people and mosdos he helped. He wasn’t interested in building an edifice to his name but rather gave and gave and gave to others, individuals and mosdos to help them establish theirs. Rav Moshe Feinstein z’tzl and other Gedolim would send people to him for eitzes and brochos.
I would be much gratified if some of you would research The Rebbe and learn who we had in our very own generation. The Rebbe was niftar in about 1967, after which his son Rav Moshe Mordechai Heschel took over the mantal of Kapishnitz and headed it until his untimely passing about seven years later.