While the Daf Yomi idea may have originated with Rav Meir Shapiro, a plan for affordable housing may have had its origins with his American cousin

Title: Not Just Another Cousin…

Location: New York, New York

Document: Mendel Shapiro newspaper clipping and letter

Time: 1920s

Though he had no children of his own, Rav Meir Shapiro was wont to say he had two children who were his legacy — Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin and Daf Yomi. There were other significant familial ties, however. Descended from Rav Pinchas of Koritz, one of the early and close students of the Baal Shem Tov, the Shapiro family was part of the aristocracy of chassidus.

Another Shapiro descendant was Rav Meir’s cousin Mendel, who wound up in New York, and seemed to share his more famous cousin’s motivation for communal activism. He worked alongside the legendary Judge Gustave Hartman to create and uphold the Israel Orphan Asylum. This institution helped raise the standard of care for many homeless Jewish children, some of whom were newly arrived pogrom survivors from Poland.

While Rav Meir Shapiro was hard at work building a yeshivah that would change the course of Torah study in Poland, cousin Mendel Shapiro helped with the fundraising efforts for Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin. He personally lobbied on its behalf before the Joint Distribution Committee, an important aid organization that was the backbone of support for many yeshivos during the interwar period.

Did You Know? While the Daf Yomi idea may have originated with Rav Meir Shapiro, a plan for affordable housing may have had its origins with his American cousin. Mendel Shapiro was said to have played a role in the creation of the 30-year mortgage, through one of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs no less.

Mendel Shapiro’s son Yehuda Meir (Max) married Ethel Krevsky, the daughter of Rav Shlomo Zalman Krevsky of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Allentown was relatively “in town” compared to his previous position — he had been the dedicated rav leading the Russian Jewish expat community in Harbin, China.

Letter Credits: The JDC Archives

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 824)