Gedaliah Anemer

Rav Gedaliah Anemer
Personal
Born	Gedaliah Anemer (1932-03-19)19 March 1932 Akron, Ohio
Died	15 April 2010(2010-04-15) (aged 78) Kemp Mill, Maryland
Religion	Judaism
Nationality	American
Denomination	Orthodox Judaism
Alma mater	Telshe Yeshiva
Position	Rabbi
Synagogue	Young Israel Shomrai Emunah
Position	Rosh Yeshiva
Yeshiva	Yeshiva of Greater Washington
Position	Rav Av Bet Din
Organisation	Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington
Yahrtzeit	1 Iyar
Buried	Har HaMenuchot
Semikhah	Rav Eliyahu Meir Bloch

Rabbi Gedaliah Anemer, also known as Rav Gedaliah Ben Zev HaKohen (March 19, 1932 – April 15, 2010), was an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and founder of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, where he served as Rosh Yeshiva for 45 years. He was a disciple of Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Bloch. Anemer headed the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington and led the Vaad HaKashrus.

Early life

Gedaliah Anemer was born in Akron, Ohio. At a time when it was uncommon for Jews in middle America to be shomer Shabbos, his father, Reb Zev, declined an offer to own a Coca-Cola franchise because it would’ve required him to work on Shabbos. After his father was killed by a drunk driver, his mother Rivkah raised Amner and his siblings on her own.

Anemer received his early education at Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem in New York, where he formed a close bond with Reb Moshe Feinstein. During that period, the yeshivah did not offer Shabbos meals, so Anemer often dined at Reb Moshe's home. From 1944 to 1956, he studied at Telshe Yeshiva, where he distinguished himself in Shas and Shulchan Aruch. He was a close talmid of Eliyahu Meir Bloch. Years after leaving Telshe, Anemer remained close to Mordechai Gifter.

Career

Anemer received his semikhah in 1952 and soon after became the Rosh Yeshiva of the Boston Rabbinical Seminary, a collaborative effort between Lakewood Yeshiva and Telshe Yeshiva. Anemer and his rebbetzin moved to Washington, D.C, where he worked as a rabbi. He later relocated the congregation to the Kemp Hill area of Silver Spring, Maryland, laying the foundation for what would a new Jewish community.

In the early days of Washington and Silver Spring, the Jewish community was too small to support a fully kosher business, and hiring a mashgiach was not economically viable. As the community grew, the demand for kosher establishments increased, and so Anemer was asked to lead the Vaad HaKashrus of Washington. Anemer declined the salary that came with the role and chose to allocate the funds towards hiring a supervisor for the mashgichim instead. In 1963, Anemer founded the Yeshiva of Greater Washington.

Death and burial

Anemer died of a stroke on April 22, 2010. He was 78. To ensure Anemer could be buried in Israel during the short period of time before Shabbos, state troopers escorted his body to the airport. Upon arrival in Israel, Anemer's students lined the streets, paying their final respects.