DAYAN CHANOCH EHRENTREU זצ”ל – IN MEMORIAM

Last week we received the sad news that Dayan Ehrentreu, Emeritus Head of the London Beth Din and the Beth Din of Europe, had passed away. Although he never recovered the power of speech, after his stroke more than two years ago, he was still able to greet people and bless them with the trademark smile that lit up his whole face.

Dayan Ehrentreu was born in Munich almost 90 years ago. His family came to England just before war broke out. His father was the beloved Principal of Prestwich Jewish Day School in Manchester, where Rachie was a pupil.

The study and teaching of Torah was his essence. He founded the Sunderland Kollel in 1960, where he trained a generation of rabbinic scholars who would later make their mark on their communities. Among his students were Dayan Nissim Rebibo, the late head of the Paris Beth Din, Dayan Saadia Amor, the late head of the Sefardi Beth Din, and the late Dayan Gershon Lopian who had such an impact in the Edgware community and beyond.

In 1979, he was invited to head the Manchester Beth Din where he quickly made his mark in establishing harmonious relationships across the community.

Chief Rabbi Jakobovits had identified Dayan Ehrentreu for a lead role in London. When Dayan Moshe Swift died in 1983, Dayan Ehrentreu accepted the call to become the Head of the London Beth Din and moved London in 1984.

He set about strengthening Kashrut, Mikva and Shabbat observance and making them accessible to the community.

Perhaps one of his greatest achievements was the first Eruv in London. While there were planning hurdles to overcome, the main problem was from those who challenged the halachic validity of the Eruv. Dayan Ehrentreu was fearless in promoting this cause and we have all been the beneficiaries.

In 1989, I was honoured to be invited to join the London Beth Din, initially as an Associate Dayan. Over the course of many years, I had the opportunity to observe the Dayan at close hand. I saw not only his brilliance as a Halachic authority, but also his courage, compassion and humanity. He was shrewd. He was practical. He was determined. He was enormously hard-working. The warmth of his smile made you feel proud to be in his presence. The joy on his face when he was learning or teaching Torah knew no bounds. In addition, he was a devoted, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.

Despite his extraordinarily busy schedule, he found time for everyone. To Rachie and me, he was our personal rabbi. He was the Mohel for our sons’ Beritot and spoke at their Bar Mitzvas. He spoke – and danced – at our children’s weddings. He was our ‘go-to’ person whenever we had a difficult problem to discuss. His passing has left an enormous void in our lives. May his memory be a source of blessing for us all.