History has produced only a small selection of Jews whose impact on the breadth of Torah study significantly transcended that which is achievable by a single individual. Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, z”l, is a member of that rarified group.
As the Twentieth Century introduced the combined destructive storms of assimilation and disaffection, Torah study became particularly essential to the religious survival of each Jew. Rabbi Zlotowitz provided our broader community access to substantive Torah study, thereby anchoring us to our Mesorah and to authentic Torah Judaism. As technology and other forces further afforded unbridled access to foreign ideologies and secular values, the elegant and articulate English translations of, and commentaries on, Talmud and Tanach provided by Rabbi Zlotowitz empowered every Jew, regardless of educational background, to engage in Torah’s wisdom and guidance, and thereby counter unhealthy influences competing for our hearts and souls.
Hardly a synagogue in North America does not have on its shelves some, if not many, of Rabbi Zlotowitz’s precious publications. In fact, few if any American Orthodox home have not been elevated by the substance and impact of Rabbi Zlotowitz’s magnificent legacy.
The Orthodox Union, its officers, directors and members, mourns the petira of this historic facilitator of broad, communal Torah study. We are confident that the ongoing impact of Rabbi Zlotowitz’s accomplishments will provide merit to his memory, merit to his family, and merit to the entirety of Klal Yisrael.