Rabbi Yaacov Landa, the rabbi of Bnei Brak, and a leading practitioner of strict Orthodoxy in Israel, was buried on the Mount of Olives today. He died at his home in Bnei Brak yesterday at the age of 89. Thousands of Orthodox Jews attended the funeral.
Landa was born in Kornitz, Russia, and achieved prominence as a scholar at an early age. On the death of his father, Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Leib, he replaced him as president of the religious court in the town. Landa served as rabbi during the first decade of the Communist regime in Russia, immigrating to Palestine in 1935. Shortly afterwards, he was appointed rabbi of Bnei Brak.
He is credited with preserving Bnei Brak as an ultra-Orthodox stronghold despite its proximity to the secular metropolis of Tel Aviv. His influence among religious Jews extended far beyond the boundaries of his town.
He was known for his particularly strict enforcement of the kashrut laws, and his personal “hechsher,” (certification) was to be found in almost every Israeli household on the products of the Ossem food company and the Coca Cola bottling plant, both of which are located in Bnei Brak.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
