ר׳ יוסף צבי דושינסקי

ר׳ יוסף צבי דושינסקי (1867–1948), known as מהרי״ץ דושינסקי, was a Hungarian rabbi who became chief rabbinic leader of Jerusalem’s Edah HaChareidis and founder of the Dushinsky community. Born at Paks, Hungary, he studied with leading Hungarian scholars and received semikhah before serving as rabbi of Galanta from 1895 and of Khust from 1921. Following the death of ר׳ יוסף חיים זוננפלד, he was invited to Jerusalem and arrived in 1933 with students and his library. He established Yeshivat Beit Yosef Tzvi at 54 Shmuel HaNavi Street and served as גאב״ד of the Edah HaChareidis, while also holding senior positions in Agudath Israel. He defended the institutional autonomy and anti-Zionist outlook of the Old Yishuv, yet dealt pragmatically with wartime relief, refugees and public authorities. In 1947 he testified before the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine. Ill health took him briefly to Bat Yam in 1948; he died on 17 October in Jerusalem and was buried in the temporary Shaare Zedek cemetery. His responsa, sermons and Torah commentary were published in the שו״ת מהרי״ץ and תורת מהרי״ץ series.