7 - Post-War Years (1946–1966)

Summary

MONTREUX

WITH HIS WORLD destroyed, the great question before Weinberg was what to do now. He regarded Montreux, with its small yeshiva and Jewish community numbering under a hundred people, as only a temporary stop before he would journey on to a major centre of Jewish life. Because of his fame he received many invitations and could have settled in the United States, France, England, or Palestine–Israel. Although he always expressed a desire to leave Montreux, he was to remain there until the end of his life. Even his lifelong dream of living in, or even visiting, Israel was never to come to fruition. It was during the years in Montreux that Weinberg, who before the war had led a public life, reverted to a very private role. This chapter will examine what brought about this transformation.

As mentioned in Chapter 6, it was Weinberg's student Saul Weingort who was responsible for his teacher's maintenance and who enabled him to take advantage of the pleasant atmosphere of Montreux in order to complete his recuperation. Yet the calm did not last long: on 18 September 1946 tragedy struck when Weingort was killed in a train accident, and Weinberg's health took another turn for the worse. After the initial shock of Weingort's death had passed, Weinberg once again began to reconstruct his life, although his state of depression made this very difficult. During this time he often expressed feelings of hopelessness, claiming that his life had no future.

After acquiring the necessary books, Weinberg was able to return to his talmudic studies and the writing of responsa, which despite all other interests always remained the central focus of his life. However, this activity was more difficult than in the years before the war. As he mentioned in a number of letters, his memory was not what it had been, and he was continuously afflicted by a variety of maladies. Despite this, it was only a short while before he assumed his position as one of the world's foremost posekim, whose expertise was sought out even by Israel's Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog. Although before the war his influence had been limited to Germany, in the post-war years it became international in scope. This was due to a few factors.