Lakewood Alerts regrets to inform you of the petirah of R’ Yehuda Levin z”l, a longtime Lakewood resident who was one of the town’s earliest baalei tzedaka and behind-the-scenes askanim who greatly assisted in Lakewood’s eventual phenomenonal growth.
R’ Yehuda, originally from Eretz Yisroel, is the brother of Rav Eliyahu Levin shlit”a. He lived in the Clifton Avenue area until his petirah, following years of health battles.
His home was open to meshulachim, and his was one of the first homes to be mobbed with people collecting on Purim, as he doled out massive amounts of tzedaka.
R’ Yehuda z”l was very close with numerous talmidei chachomim, and held a special connection with Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l, whom he often sought advice from.
The levaya is scheduled to take place at 2 PM in BMG’s Bais Aharon on 10th Street. Kevurah will take place in Eretz Yisroel.
Yehuda has been a close chaver of mine since 1968 when we learned together in Bais Hatalmud in Yerushalayim. When he came to America in the summer of 1972, we travelled around together to my home in Chicago. Later, we went to Toronto together to Ner Israel, but he left after Elul and went to Lakewood. We both got married around the same time and were at each other’s chasunas in NY in 1975. Over the years we would see each other often in Lakewood and often my wife and me would stay in the guest rooms in his basement on 11th St. The article failed to mention that he was a tremendous Talmid Chochom, maybe even an illuy in learning, not quite like his brother Rav Eliyahu. He didn’t just start learning after he retired, he had been a tremendous masmid even while he ran his business. Reb Yehuda will be sorely missed by me, all his friends and family.