in collaboration with the Bamberger Family
Baltimore and klal Yisrael recently lost an ish chesed, an ish emes, a humble and unassuming individual. It is a shame that
the younger generation did not know Reb Osher Bamberger, who contributed so
much to the Baltimore community – but always below the radar. Reb Osher was an
architect who laid the groundwork for the growth of Torah in this community. He
shied away from any kavod (honor) even
as he expended great effort to build and maintain the infrastructure we still
benefit from in this community. He was a rodef
shalom (pursuer of peace) and a role model to many.
Reb Osher’s
parents, Martin and Rosa Bamberger, were pillars of Baltimore back in the 1940s
and raised three wonderful children, Abe, Osher, and Julia. The three continued
the chesed and klal work of their parents, and their children, in turn, are
continuing the heritage of the Bamberger mishpacha.
Reb Osher was a
solid talmid chacham, and his tefillah,
learning, and chinuch of his children
were models for all to emulate. He was a talmid
of the roshei hayeshiva, Rav Ruderman,
zt”l, and Rav Kulefsky, zt”l, at Ner Israel. He was a close talmid of Rav Dovid Kronglas, zt”l, the yeshiva’s mashgiach. In addition to being a math and physics expert and
teacher, he had golden hands, and he used his talent to serve the kehillah in various capacities.
Rabbi Heber told a
wonderful story about the blizzard of 1996. The Hebers were about to make a bris, when the heating in the home broke
down. With only two space heaters to provide a bit of warmth, the new baby as
well as Rabbi Heber’s elderly father were exposed to the freezing cold. BGE
would not come out in the blizzard. The furnace needed a thermo-couple, but the
part could not be obtained as the blizzard shut down the whole town. When Reb
Osher found out about the situation, he called the Hebers to say, “I have the
part, and I am coming over to fix it immediately.” Through two feet of snow, he
came to the rescue. Within minutes, the heat was restored. That was Reb Osher
Bamberger.
At the levaya
(funeral), Rabbi Hopfer, Rav Heinemann, and many family members gave beautiful hespedim in praise of this wonderful man
and his accomplishments.
The publication of
this tribute was motivated by the goal of inspiring our community to realize
what “regular
people” can accomplish in avodas
Hashem and avodas haklal. May any
inspiration gleaned from his beautiful legacy be a zechus for the neshama of
R’ Osher ben R’ Mordechai, z”l.
* * *
Reb Osher was born
in Munich, Germany in 1937 to Martin and Rosa Bamberger. His parents decided to
leave Germany in 1938 with the rise of anti-Semitism. Harav Shimon Schwab, zt”l, whom Reb Osher’s father knew from
his time at Rav Breuer’s Frankfurt yeshiva, was now rav at Shearith Israel congregation and encouraged him to come to
Baltimore to help strengthen the community.
Reb Osher grew up
in Baltimore and attended Yeshivas Ner Yisrael, going to night college at the
same time. Before finishing his degree, while still a bachur, he began teaching in the afternoon in the mechina at Ner Yisrael. One day, the Yeshiva
had an audit. The auditor asked the principal why he had a teacher on staff who
was not fully credentialed. The principal responded, “Before, I had a licensed
teacher who couldn’t teach; now, I have an unlicensed teacher who knows how to
teach.” The auditor left him alone.
After getting
married in 1962, Reb Osher continued to learn for a good part of the day and
teach in the afternoon. When he had four young children, his father-in-law
became sick and needed help to maintain his business. While visiting in Toronto,
Reb Osher saw the pain and anxiety his in-laws were going through. He decided
to take a year off from teaching public school to move to Toronto and help his
father-in-law. Within a few days, the Bambergers packed all their belongings
and moved to Toronto. Reb Osher took it upon himself to act as a salesman for the
family business selling ties and formal wear. Although he was not used to this
type of job, he felt it had to be done, so he did it willingly. At the end of
the year, it turned out that the profit margin was the same. It is
mind-boggling to think that a young son-in-law, who knew his father-in-law for only
a few short years (although they already had a very loving relationship), would
undertake such an endeavor. But this was classic R’ Osher Bamberger. He never
said no; he took the achrayus (responsibility)
whenever something needed to be done, no matter how difficult it was. They never
forgot this chesed.
After his
father-in-law was niftar and a
partner was set up to help with the business, the Bambergers moved back to
Baltimore, and Reb Osher resumed teaching. After a number of years of teaching,
he saw that times were changing and it was best for him to leave the public
school system. He got a job in the Social Security Administration as a
statistician. He was a brilliant man with a lot to offer and shared his
knowledge and advice because he truly cared about others and wanted to assist
in any way possible.
While at Social
Security, Reb Osher would use his lunch break for learning. He would often
learn with others, especially those with less background so that they could
then help their children with their homework. He was a strong kovei’a itim latorah. After a long, hard
day of work, he would make sure to sit down and learn. He also did hard
physical work in the evenings, welding saw blades for the family business, yet
he would make time to help the children with their homework, learning with them
or listening to dial-a-daf. He worked two or three jobs in order to pay full
tuition as this was a priority for him. Reb Osher was zocheh to finish three cycles of Daf Yomi, and his gemaras are full
of the notes he jotted down while learning.
* * *
Reb Osher’s tefillah was something to regard with
awe. He said the words slowly and deliberately, carefully enunciating each word
with kavanah and deveikus. He was also very careful about not talking in shul.
Shabbos was a day
for learning, and the Shabbos seudah
was a time for divrei Torah and zemiros. Reb Osher came prepared and
created a pleasant experience for all those who joined the seudah. Many people spent time in the home over the years and speak
of the beautiful Shabbos table as something that made an impression on them and
influenced their own homes.
Reb Osher was ehrlich (honest) in all his business
dealings. To quote Rabbi Hopfer’s hesped,
“He was an adam yashar, yashar meod.”
He was a man of nobility, with an aristocratic bearing and refined middos. One never heard a harsh word
from his mouth, and his interactions with others were always pleasant and
meaningful. He was a gentle, pleasant person, even in times of pain and
difficulty. He was also so appreciative to anyone who helped him.
Reb Osher had a
wonderful sense of humor, a beautiful, real smile, and a ready chuckle. He had
many stories, jokes, and lines he would share, with a twinkle in his eye, but
always with refinement. So many of his quotes are ingrained in us all, and the
wisdom and wit continue to inspire us.
The chinuch Reb Osher gave was exemplary. The
only thing he cared about was that the children should grow up to be yereim and shleimim and know that Torah was the most important thing. He
taught by example how to be tzanua (modest),
in all areas. Sundays were dedicated to klal
work, and only afterwards would the family do something enjoyable together. There
was always warmth and love in the home. He also helped out at home; no kind of
work was beneath him. Reb Osher went to whatever lengths needed for his
children. When he saw that one son would benefit from supplemental work at
school, he had the school initiate the Chemdas program, which still exists in
the local boys schools. He always came over to the married children’s homes to
fix whatever they needed; nothing was too difficult or demeaning for him.
As a grandfather,
Reb Osher got such joy out of learning with and teaching his grandchildren. He
had such patience and love for them. When he came to fix something, he allowed
the children to get close and watch what he was doing. He would even clearly
demonstrate and explain what he was doing. The grandchildren remember how he
would always ask them what they were learning and if they told him something,
he would give them a quarter. That was how he showed what was chashuv (important) to him. He would plan trips to the park for barbecues
or boating. On longer trips, he would point out the sights or explain the
mechanics of a dam or drawbridge. He had so much knowledge, and he shared it in
such an enjoyable way. His children and grandchildren remember his beautiful,
heartfelt brachos, especially on erev Yom Kippur.
* * *
Reb Osher made
significant contributions to numerous institutions in the Baltimore community.
Besides financial support, he was an integral part of the functioning of
various shuls, mosdos of Torah, and chesed. He was part of the chevra kadisha and would get involved in bikur cholim visits and hachnasas
kallah, all quietly, behind the scenes. His home was open to those in need.
Many people came to the shiva expressing
gratitude for the support, both physical and emotional, that they received from
the Bambergers.
Yeshivas Kochav
Yitzchak/Torah Institute was one such example. At the time that his oldest son
was ready to start school, Reb Osher and some friends decided that the cheder, then called Shearis Hapleita,
was the kind of chinuch they wanted
for their children. The cheder had
been primarily chasidish, started by
Rav Yitzchok Sternhell, zt”l, after
the war. The school was losing its ability to continue as the children of those
refuges were getting older, and they didn’t have enough enrollment in the
younger grades to maintain classes. Reb Osher and his group of friends decided
to revive the school and send their children there. They obtained the necessary
equipment (desks, chairs, etc.) as there had not been a kindergarten in a
while. This was the rejuvenation of the cheder,
which was later renamed Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchok after its founder. Reb Osher continued
to be involved in the running of the cheder
for quite some time, such as in the collection of tuition and even putting up
walls when they needed more classroom space. As was typical of him, he went
there himself, with a few helpers, and built those walls with his own hands.
Shearith Israel,
known more commonly as the Glen Avenue Shul, was another example of Reb Osher’s
involvement in community institutions. Although he never occupied an official
position in the shul, he contributed extensively in so many ways. He went about
his business quietly and did what needed to be done, before most people were
even aware of the need.
Rabbi Hopfer told
a story that encapsulates Reb Osher’s style. One day, the Rav mentioned in
passing that he was concerned about the stability of the sifrei Torah in the aron kodesh.
Although each one was supported by an indentation, he was always afraid that
something would happen since there was nothing really holding them in place. A
couple days later, when they opened the aron,
Rav Hopfer noticed golden chains holding each sefer Torah in place. He knew exactly who had done it. He also knew
that Reb Osher would not admit to it. Instead, Rav Hopfer mentioned his
involvement as a fact. Reb Osher just smiled in admission.
The Bamberger
family was one of the early families to settle in the Greenspring area, in the
1970s. The Agudah of Greenspring was started in their house, and it was through
his efforts, together with several friends, that the shul was established. Reb Osher was also at the helm of the effort
to buy the house the shul currently occupies and the original renovation to
convert the dwelling into a shul.
Many years ago,
Harav Kulefsky, zt”l, asked Reb Osher
to get involved in the community mikvah on Rogers Avenue. He readily accepted
this responsibility and took charge of the maintenance of the old mikvah
building for many years, until the construction of the new building. This
involved many hours on Sundays of hard and sometimes unpleasant work. Reb Osher
did this regularly and happily and felt that it was his achrayus to make sure that the mikvah was in good working order. He
was also concerned with promoting taharas
hamishpacha, by ensuring that the price of the mikvah stayed low.
One time, the
mikvah had a terrible sewer backup the week before Pesach. No questions asked, Reb
Osher went there and took care of the problem and the cleanup. He worked
through erev Pesach to ensure the job
was done before Yom Tov so that no one would be bothered by the odor over Yom
Tov. When he came home, messy boots and all, his daughter asked him, “Does
anyone know what you did?” His answer was so classic and to the point: “Why do
they need to know?”
Reb Osher also
readily dispensed his expertise to help people in the community. Whether it was
an electrical, plumbing, heating, or air conditioning problem, he was there to
help. A neighbor once called the Bamberger house to inquire about washing
machine models because theirs was broken and they needed a new one. Instead, he
insisted on coming over to see if he could fix it. He fixed it with a rubber
band, and it lasted another 10 years! His capabilities were legendary; many
more such stories abound.
In one of the hespedim, Reb Osher was described as an ish eshkolos, ish shehakol bo – a man of
many talents, both in ruchnius and gashmius. We can all strive to learn
from his model of Torah, avodah, and gemilus chasadim. Yehi zichro baruch.
