Shlomo Polachek
Shlomo Polachek (; 1877 – July 9, 1928) was born in Sinichinitz, near Meitchet, Grodna. He was an important Talmudic scholar and one of the earliest roshei yeshiva in America. Biography. He entered the Volozhin yeshiva when he was only twelve years old, and remained there until its close in the winter of 1892. He then went to learn with his mentor, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, in Brisk for the next four years. Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman attested that he personally heard from Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, regarding the Polachek in 1896, “"Aza meshunediger illui vi der Meitsheter hob ich in leben nit  gezen" — I’ve never met a genius like the Meitscheter my entire life.” Polachek went on to become the "rosh yeshiva" in "yeshivos" in Lida and Białystok. At the invitation of Rabbi Dr. Dov Revel, Polachek arrived in America in 1922 to become a "rosh yeshiva" at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) the rabbinical school of Yeshiva University and its Yeshiva College, America's first yeshiva. He taught at RIETS for six years until his sudden passing in 1928. Views. Polachek held some broad-minded views relative to some of his contemporaries. For example, Jeffrey S. Gurock writes  in "Judaism's Encounter with American Sports" (Indiana University Press): Following the sudden passing of Polachek in 1928, more than 15,000 people at gathered at his funeral outside the Yeshiva on the Lower East Side. Among those who eulogized him were Rabbi Boruch Ber Lebowitz Rabbi Shimon Shkop was persuaded to replace him for a short period of time. Family. His children were notable in their own right, including daughter Rebbetzin Libby Mowshowitz (married to Rabbi Dr. Israel Mowshowitz), a son who received a PhD, and another son who became a doctor . Prominent Students. Some of Polachek's prominent students  included: Observance of his Yahrtzeit. Each year on the 21st of Tammuz, there is a pilgrimage to his grave at the Mount Judah Cemetery in Ridgewood, Queens.