Meir Atlas

Meir Atlas (Hebrew: מאיר אטלס‎; 1848–1926) was the rabbi of numerous communities in pre-World War II Europe and one of the founders of the Telz Yeshiva.^[1] He was an outstanding halachic authority who authored many responsa and was one of the foremost Lithuanian rabbis of his time.

Biography

Rabbi Meir Atlas was born in 1848 in Baisagola, Lithuania. In 1875, together with Rabbi Zvi Yaakov Oppenheim, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Abel and the help of a German Jewish layman, Ovadyah Lachman, Atlas founded the Telz Yeshiva in Telz, Lithuania. He later served as rabbi and spiritual leader in a number of cities, including Libau in Latvia, Salant in Lithuania, and Kobryn in Belarus. In 1904, Rabbi Atlas was appointed rabbi to the community of Shavel.

Meir's brother was Rabbi Eliezer Atlas. His sons-in-law included Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman,^[2] Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski and Rabbi Yehudel Kahana Shapiro, the son of Rabbi Zalman Sender Kahana Shapiro. Rabbi Meir died in 1926.

References

1. ↑ Otzar Harabanim (Rabbis' Encyclopedia), Rabbinate era from 970 to 1970; #12756, by Rabbi Nathan Zvi Friedman, Bnei Brak 1975.
2. ↑ Weekly Biography: Hagaon Harav Elchanan Wasserman, Hy"d, Hamodia Newspaper, July 9, 2008, page C3