Mr. Yitzchock Kosofsky, 89, OBM
Mr. Yitzchok Kosofsky, father of Mrs. Nechama Prus, longtime resident of Chicago who was instrumental in bringing Cholov Yisroel and the Rebbe's farbrengen hookups to the city, passed away. Mr. Yitzchok Kosofsky passed away on Erev Pesach of overall health complications after entering the hospital several months ago. He was 89. Mr. Kosofsky was born in 1931 in Chicago, IL, to traditional Jewish immigrant parents. They sent him to the Talmud Torah of Cong. Bnai Reuven, a Lubavitch shul. Under the direction of Rabbi Flyer, the boys learned Mon. – Thur., 4 p.m – 6 p.m., in addition to classes on Sunday. When the Frierdiker Rebbe visited Chicago in 1942, Mr. Kosofsky and his class were privileged to meet the Rebbe at the Greymere Hotel. A sicha to the students of the Talmud Torah on Wed. evening, 11 Shvat, is printed in Bikur Chicago. Although not yet bar mitzvah, this meeting left a life-long impression on Mr. Kosofsky. Around that time, he joined a gemara class taught by Rabbi Sholom Posner, shortly before Rabbi Posner moved to Pittsburgh. Mr. Kosofsky studied in the Lubavitch yeshiva that existed for two years in Chicago in the 1940s under the direction of Rabbi Yosef Weinberg. Afterwards, he continued his studies at Yeshivas Beis Medresh LaTorah (Skokie Yeshiva) for many years. He earned his living as a CPA and as a comptroller for a company that refined precious metals. He and his wife, Reitza tichyeh, dedicated their lives to the ideals of the Rebbe and raised a chasidisher family. At a time that many people moved away from Yiddishkeit, they only used cholov Yisrael, and sent their children away to Yeshiva for high school. In the 60s and 70s, under the direction of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Meisels, Mr. Kosofsky arranged to bring Cholov Yisrael to Chicago. This involved sending a mashgiach to a farm and dairy in Wisconsin and trucking the milk into Chicago. At that time, only a handful of families were careful to drink only Cholov Yisrael. There were many challenges, but
