Rabbi Aaron Shteinman, 103-Year-Old Lithuanian Ultra-Orthodox Sage, Hospitalized
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The 103-year-old Rabbi Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman, considered the leading sage in the non-Hasidic (Lithuanian) Haredi community, was hospitalized in Bnei Brak on Sunday after he had felt unwell for several days. Doctors suspect he has pneumonia.
Ma’ayanei Hayeshua Medical Center director Prof. Moti Ravid told Haaretz that Shteinman was conscious and had been admitted as a precaution.
“The man has passed 100 years of age. At this age, anything can throw you off balance,” Ravid said last night. “He had some respiratory problems, fever, and generally felt unwell. He was admitted this evening to intensive care, not that he needs this now but it’s a place that allows for relative isolation and quiet, and of course supervision. He’s being treated and we are hoping for the best. He’s as conscious as he can be in this situation.”
Shteinman has been regarded as the leader of the Lithuanian Torah world since the passing of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv four years ago. He is the head of Degel Hatorah’s Council of Torah Sages.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
