Rabbi Michel Twerski	Rabbi Aaron D. Twerski	Rabbi B. C. Shlomo Twerski ZT"L
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.	Rebbitzen Feige Twerski	Rabbi Mordechai Dov Ber (Mottel) Twerski ZT"L

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Rabbi Michel Twerski

Rabbi Michel Twerski, Rebbe, Spiritual Guide, Rav, and Posek of his community in Milwaukee for over 30 years, has made a strong impression on the American Jewish scene. A pioneer in the Kiruv movement, Rabbi Twerski has brought hundreds back to their roots and has helped numerous outreach organizations establish their methods and techniques.

In addition to Rabbi Michel's original approach in interpreting Jewish thought, he is also a composer of music, whose melodies are enjoyed and sung throughout the Torah world.

The Twerski home serves as a haven to hundreds seeking Torah guidance, as well as being the hub of a dynamic orthodox community in Milwaukee. The Twerski's direction has revitalized traditional Jewish life in Milwaukee, where a recently created "cheder" school and Kollel have become the centerpiece of community growth.

The Rabbi and Rebbetzin travel the world, lecturing and counseling on a myriad of topics. They have had a positive impact on thousands of lives from totally secular non-religious Jews to the most observant Torah scholars, and left an indelible taste of wisdom and warmth in the hearts of those who hear them.

Rabbi B. C. Shlomo Twerski ZT"L

Rabbi Twerski, zt"l, was born in Crakow, Poland in 1923, and came to Milwaukee, where he grew up under the tutelage of his saintly father, ZT"L the revered Rebbe of Hornisteiple. Endowed with a brilliant mind, Reb Shloime drank in the rich Chassidic tradition of his forebears, while remaining keenly alert to the new challenges of America and its melting-pot culture. With penetrating insight and compelling authority, he was able to apply his commanding knowledge of Torah Chassidus, and Kabalah, to address the kaleidoscopic and transitional Jewish landscape of the late 40's, the 50's and 60's. Reb Shloime assumed the rabbinate of Denver, Colorado, which he served with unsurpassed devotion until his passing in 1981.

Rabbi Twerski was a pioneer in the outreach movement, to which he opened his heart and home, where hundreds came to seek the definition of their spiritual identity. Ultimately, in 1973, the Rav founded the Torah Research Institute, where he was able to devote himself full time to his outreach efforts.

Reb Shloime was a teacher of unique stature. With breathtaking originality, depth and compassion, he was able to address large audiences in a way which left each listener with an intensely personal message. His clarity of language was filled with a subtlety appreciated by scholars of Torah and understandable to those with no background at all.

Rabbi Aaron D. Twerski

Rabbi Aaron Twerski, Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, is a nationally acclaimed scholar in the field of Products Liability. He was recently accorded one of America's highest legal honors with his appointment by the American Law Institute as Co-Reporter of Restatement (Third) of Torts: Products Liability. A prolific writer, Rabbi Twerski's incisive and authoritative expositions have ben published in this country's most prestigious law review journals, and are frequently cited by the highest courts of the land in decisions which break new ground in this complex field of law.

Of even greater note are Rabbi Twerski's extraordinary contributions to the Jewish community at large. Rich and poor, powerful and weak, political and personal, religious and secular , public and private, all make their way to his open door for guidance and counsel given with unsurpassed warmth and sensitivity. A widely sought after speaker, Rabbi Twerski has championed the causes of Torah Judaism in forums cutting across the spectrum of Jewish life in the United States. He is one of the few who speak their mind with singular candor and integrity, confronting contemporary Jewish issues cogently and fearlessly.

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.

Rabbi Twerski began his rabbinical career by assisting his saintly father, who was the founder and spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Jehudah in Milwaukee.

In addition to being a pre-eminet Torah Scholar, Rabbi Twerski is a psychiatrist who is considered one of America's leading experts in the field of substance abuse rehabilitation. He served as chief of psychiatry at Pittsburgh's St. Francis General Hospital from 1965 to 1985; subsequently he founded and currently directs Gateway Rehabilitation Centers, facilities of national renown in the treatment of dependencies. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Rabbi Twerski is currently establishing an alcohol and drug rehab center in Israel.

Rabbi Twerski has authored many books, both on Torah and secular topics. His most popular titles are: Generation to Generation; Living Each Day,; Living Each Week; Let us Make Man; Growing Each Day; When Do the Good Things Start?; I'd Like to Call for Help but I Don't Know the Number, and Smiling Each Day.

Rebbitzen Feige Twerski

Rebbitzen Feige Twerski is an internationally renowned speaker offering inspirational lectures and brilliant counsel to thousands who clamor for her guidance.

In addition to mastering the demands of raising 11 children and welcoming scores of guests into her home each Shabbos, she is a key figure in the American Kiruv movement, offering her insights and expertise to numerous outreach organizations in planning and educational techniques. At the side of her husband, she has worked diligently to create and revitalize Torah institutions in Milwaukee, including the development of the Milwaukee Kollel and the Yeshiva Elementary School. The Rabbi and Rebbitzen have traveled throughout the world making Torah tradition relevant for listeners in a way that has deep impact on both the non-religious and most observant Jews. Rebbitzen Twerski's multifaceted endeavors and accomplishments on behalf of traditional Judaism stand as a model for all Orthodox Jewish women in today's society.

Rabbi Mordechai Dov Ber (Mottel) Twerski ZT"L

Rabbi Mottel Twerski was not a lecturer but the family didn't want him to be left out of this web site.

In the interim, here is a story about his passing...

Twerski was patriarch of family at forefront of key Jewish issues

Family patriarch, religious scholar, accountant, jokester with a twinkle in his eye -- Rabbi Mordecai (Mottel) Twerski was the behind-the-scenes pillar of a family that has been at the forefront of many of the central issues in American Orthodox Judaism.

Twerski, 73, died Sunday morning in New York and, in line with Jewish tradition, was buried later Sunday in Milwaukee, a few feet from the graves of his parents at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodel Cemetery near County Stadium.

He was one of five sons born to Rabbi Jacob and Leah Twerski, who moved to Milwaukee in 1922 from Eastern Europe.

The other four brothers became major figures in contemporary Jewish issues -- one is a prominent psychiatrist and author, one a lawyer who was formerly dean of the Hofstra University law school and so on.

A brother, Michel, is the rabbi of Congregation Beth Jehudah, 2700 N. 54th St., and an internationally known rabbinical figure.

But Rabbi Mottel stayed away from the spotlight. He was the one the other brothers counted on for support. With the death in 1981 of his older brother, Shlomo, who was an influential rabbi in Denver, Twerski became the de facto head of the prominent Chasidic family. Family members recall him as their biggest booster and the one who almost never missed a celebration or landmark event in the large and far-flung family.

They also describe him as a highly charitable, easily approachable man who loved to stump both children and adults with brain teasers and riddles, to tell stories and to revel in the "nachas" — a Yiddish term for a special form of joy that comes from the accomplishments of children, grandchildren or anyone else you love.

An ordained rabbi with a classic yeshiva education, he did not hold a pulpit. He got an accounting degree from Marquette University and became a certified public accountant, practicing in Milwaukee before moving to New York in 1960.

His many involvements in the Jewish community in Milwaukee in earlier years included operating a store for a few weeks each year that sold the specially handled and supervised foods and supplies for the spring Passover holiday.

He and members of his family returned to Milwaukee often in recent years.

In August 1997, Twerski, who had been having problems with dizzy spells, fell down a flight of stairs and severely injured vertebrae in his neck. He was left paralyzed and was hospitalized for the 13 months since then, much of the time unconscious or semi-conscious.

Survivors include his wife Sara, seven children, three brothers and numerous grandchildren.

Shortly before the 1997 accident, Twerski told his brother Michel that he did not want any eulogies when he died. He said he always wanted the option of walking out on a speech that wasn't worth listening to, and he wasn't going to have that option at his own funeral. At the graveside Sunday night, family members spoke, holding to his request, technically, but making their feelings clear. No celebration would be the same, the loss could not be filled, they said -- but their faith would not be shaken.