Dozens to gather in Holešov to honor Rabbi Shach

Dozens of observant Jews will visit the south Moravian town of Holešov in the coming days to honor Rabbi Shabtai ha-Kohen, known as Shach, buried in the town’s Jewish cemetery. This year marks the 363rd anniversary of his death, commemorated according to the lunar calendar. The Yahrzeit, the anniversary of death in Judaism, will take place between Thursday, February 27, and Sunday, March 2.

Born in 1621 in Vilnius, Rabbi Shach served as a rabbi in Holešov before his death, now believed to have occurred in 1662. His writings on Jewish law remain influential. Holešov’s Jewish heritage includes the rare 16th-century Shach Synagogue and a historic cemetery with 1,500 tombstones. The town’s Jewish community, dating back to the 15th century, was destroyed during World War II.