Family History
Sofer is a great-great-grandson of Rabbi Moses Sofer (1762 – 1839), known as the Chasam Sofer. The Chasam Sofer was the Rav of Pressburg (present-day Bratislava) and the leading rabbinical figure of Orthodox Judaism in the Austrian Empire, as well as one of the greatest Talmudic scholars of his time.
The Chasam Sofer was succeeded as the rabbi of Pressburg by his son, Rabbi Samuel Benjamin Sofer (1815 – 1872), known as the Ksav Sofer. The Ksav Sofer had 10 children — 6 sons and 4 daughters. One of the sons, Rabbi Shimon Sofer, was born in 1850.
In 1881, Rabbi Shimon was appointed rabbi of the Hungarian city of Erlau (Eger). There he founded a large yeshiva which was attended by elite Torah scholars from throughout Hungary. This yeshiva became a foundation of the Erlau dynasty, a branch and direct link to the philosophy and teachings of Rabbi Shimon's grandfather, the Chasam Sofer.
As Rabbi Shimon aged, he appointed his son, Rabbi Moshe Sofer (author of Yad Sofer) to be the active rabbi and dayan of Erlau. Rabbi Shimon continued to be referred to by his congregation with the revered and affectionate title of "Rebbe".
Rabbi Shimon led the Jewish community in Erlau for some 64 years. He and his community were deported to Auschwitz by the Nazis in 1944. Soon thereafter, at the age of 94, Rabbi Shimon was murdered by the Nazis together with his son, Rabbi Moses Sofer, and many others from the city of Erlau.
Read more about this topic: Yochanan Sofer
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