Mrs Perel Scharf OB”M

As unbelievable as it sounds, it is already the second yahrzeit of Mrs Perel Scharf OB”M, wife of R’ Aharon Shlita, whose untimely petirah shocked the Jewish community far and wide beyond the Antwerp kehillah. 

It looks like only yesterday when the Jewish community of Antwerp escorted the hearse – in the strictly enforced COVID-compliant policy of keeping their distance from each other, for fear of being reprimanded by the local Gendarmes. 

Perele – as she was known to her many friends – was a mere 52 years of age when she contracted the dreaded virus and after being confined to the ICU for nearly two months she succumbed, leaving behind a grieving husband, bereft orphans and a despondent Kehilla. 

Perele OBM was born to the Erblich family, who settled in the Diamond capital of Europe, where her father R’ Noach was well-known in the kehillah for his upbeat nature, always putting smiles on the faces of those around him. 

His acts of Chesed were done in an unassuming, natural way - especially in the Pshevorsk beis hamedrash, where for many decades he also took care of the otzar hasforim on a voluntary basis. 

Reb Noach himself hailed from the Chasidic Sassov dynasty, being a direct descendant – ben achar ben – of Rabbi Moshe Leyb OB”M of Sassov. 

His lineage went also all the way up to other Chasidic dynasties: Lellov, Lublin and Pshischa, Chelem, Yeroslav and the holy brothers the Rebbe Reb Shmelke of Nikolsburgh and the Haflo-oh, as well as the Chacham Tzvi ZTz”L. 

Reb Noach’s father, Rabbi Moshe Leyb OB”M served as Chazan in London and other places and was the son in law of Rabbi Yoel Ashkenazi OB”M in Tiberias, who hailed from the Rov of Toltchowa Rabbi Moshe Dovid Ashkenazi OB”M. 

Rabbi Yoel Ashkenazi OB”M was the son in law of Rabbi Noach of Slonim, who was a grandson of the Yesod Ho’Avodoh, who could trace his Yichus to Ropscytz, the Boruch Ta’am of Leipnik, the Chavas Da’as of Lissa to name but a few. 

Reb Noach Erblich grew up in Tiberias but had to leave his homeland to avoid the dreaded army draft, arriving in Antwerp where he found his place in Pshevorsk. 

Reb Itzikl took him – along with his friends who arrived there together with him – under his wings and ensured their spiritual and physical survival in the homely atmosphere of Pshevorsk. 

After qualifying as a diamond polisher he started work in the diamond district and Reb Noach then married Swiss‑born wife, a scion of the illustrious and frum Rothschild family, Mrs Malka OB”M who was Niftar a mere four months before he daughter. 

Reb Noach was a big talmid chochom and towards the end of his life he left his job to be able to devote himself fully to his torah learning. 

During the last two years of his life he exerted himself and learned despite his failing health. 

He was niftar on the Yom Kippur of 2008/5778, incidentally, coinciding with the yahrzeit of his mentor and father figure, R’ Itzikl of Pshevorsk OB”M. 

Mrs Erblich’s father Rabbi Ahron – albeit belonging to the strictly Yekkish Kehilla in Frankfurt‑am‑Main – used to make the long trek to Galicia in South-eastern Poland (a  1,350Km route, riding a motorcycle), to bask in the otherworldly glow of the Rebbes of prewar Belz. 

Mrs Perele Scharf o”h grew up in Antwerp, attending the Yesodei Hatorah girls’ school. 

In Adar of 1989, she married tblch”t R’ Aharon Scharf, son of R’ Duvid Scharf z”l, a choshuve yid and an ardent Pshevorsk chossid. 

The wedding took place in Antwerp, where R’ Yankele of Pshevorsk OB”M took part and graced the top table. 

Together with her husband R’ Aharon - an equal partner in the Chinuch of their children – she always reminding them of their shared responsibility to perpetuate the sublime Yichus that they carry along into their future life. 

She supported her husband in the myriad Chesed projects that he is involved in. 

The children learned from their parents’ example how one only grows in Ruchniyus by investing in the Gashmiyus of others, like when he spent many hours investing his heart and soul into improving, refurbishing and beautifying the Pshevorsk Beis Medrash, amongst some other of his many projects. 

 The growing family bore testimony to the noble Yichus that they came from, always building on these strong foundations. 

The young mother always strived to follow in the footsteps of her holy ancestors, educating her children about the Minhogim, sayings and stories she heard in her father’s house. 

Her charm and warmth were reserved for her children, whom she held as first and only priority, always making sure they lacked nothing. 

Still, her many Chessed activities, which she did without fanfare were the unspoken lessons that her family absorbed by osmosis; they in turn grew up – and are still growing – into Tzedoko and Chessed ambassadors in the most natural ways. 

If one would try to describe an open door policy, it would be the Scharf home that could have been used as the prime example; over the years they ‘accumulated’ an array of guests that encompassed the breadth and length of the Jewish community and were welcomed at any time of the day or the night. 

Needy people knew that there’s always something warm, served with a smile – no matter what day of the year. 

The Shabbos table, the Yomtov table and even the Seder night – guests felt at home – as if they are hosting the family! The fact that in the Scharf household they spoke half a dozen languages ensured that everyone had her ear; she knew how to listen simultaneously to the babble of the different languages and to empathise with each one of her guests, so that they were convinced that whatever they said was taken on board. 

Likewise, she remembered the idiosyncrasies of the regulars, catering for those who needed special food like diabetic-compatible meals. 

Her Erev Shabbos chores would be punctuated with “fetch this from the shop” or “order that from the butcher for so’n’so”, who ‘needs’ his favourite dish…”. 

There was always one spare chair at the table for the unexpected guest who might turn up on their doorstep. 

Her constant worry for others was a natural outcome of her wish to always be there for the needy, the lesser able or the downtrodden. 

Hers was always the first point of call when someone needed a favour – she never turned down someone in need. 

 With all her Chesed activities, her main focus were her children; no parties, concerts of extended family Simchas were more important than preparing her children’s lunch, helping them with homework or ensuring that they are well-fed and well-clothed. 

When a family Simcha abroad compelled her to leave her brood at home, she arranged the travel itinerary so that her absence from home would be cut to the bare minimum – her children should not have to be without their doting mother for a minute longer than absolutely necessary. 

Holiday for her was to take her family out – not to leave them behind and ‘enjoy life’… Of her many chesed related projects, one stands out in its uniqueness and its attention to detail: When their son habochur Moshe Yehuda Leib was taken at an untimely age of 19 years of age, she resolved to make up for the unbearable loss by starting a Gemach Zichron Moshe. 

This Gemach helps parents navigate the wedding preparations of their own children, by providing a list of families who opened their hearts and homes to out-of-town guests coming for a family Simcha. 

Sometimes this booklet was even augmented by an envelope containing a handsome sum of money to help with wedding expenses – especially when the bride or groom were orphans. 

As with her precision approach to hosting her own Shabbos guests, this list contained a wealth of information, to help the Mechutan with the decision making process of whom to host where and how many flights of stairs there were in the guesthouse, or whether theirs an elevator and how many bedrooms were available - all to of this investment into detail went towards making the job of selecting the best location for each guest so much easier and less stressful. 

When she contracted the dreaded CORONA virus, the whole Kehilla were Davening for her speedy recovery but after HaSHem’s decisions no one can reconsider and she was taken to her Maker eight weeks after she was hospitalised, on Shabbos Parashas Shemini, when the Torah reading included “בקרובי אקדש”. 

Her Choshuve husband received the harrowing news with the heroic equanimity as his namesake: "וידום אהרן" – he accepted HaShem’s will in the fashion that he saw at his father’s and father-in-law’s attitude to tragedy – to accept yisurin with silence. 

The hesped was delivered by the Antwerp Rov Rav Schiff Shlit”a who emphasised how Antwerp was spared such tragedy until then and what a loss this was to the Kehillah. 

The hearse continued from the Kehilla offices to the Pshevorsk Shul where the Rebbe Shlit”a made an exception to pay respect to this Isho Chashuvoh on her way to Eretz Yisroel. 

All along the way from the Kehila building to the Shul the streets were lined with a mourning multitude, who couldn’t congregate due to the draconian COVID-19 regulations that prevented gatherings even in the open. 

Once in Jerusalem, the Mittoh was taken to the Beys Halevayos on Rechov Shamgar in Romema, where her former teacher at the Royde seminary in Manchester Rabbi Gavriel Royde Shlit”a and Rabbi Levy Shlit”a of the Czernobyl Yeshiva in Bene Beraq eulogised her. 

The levaya continued to Har Menuchos, were she was laid to rest next to her beloved Moishy OB”M, who was niftar eight years prior. 

Mother and son were inseparable throughout his short life; she mourned him in the intervening eight years and now they were together again. 

Her mourning family in Antwerp, her husband, sons and daughters and son-in-law as well as her son in Vienna, with her brothers and sisters remember a gem that was taken from the Jewish nation. 

Yehi Zichra Boruch.