Editor’s Note: We embark today upon a 3-part exploration of the life and legacy of Rebbetzin Esther Soille and Rabbi Henry Soille. The author is an 8th grade teacher at Toras Emes Academy in Los Angeles.
By Avraham Dimenstein
LOS ANGELES — All the Jewish fundraisers knew they could count on a sizable donation by stopping by the second floor of the mustard-colored apartment building at 4501 Ohio St. in the North Park district of San Diego. This had been the residence of Rabbi Henry and Esther Soille (pronounced Swall) since the early 1960’s.
From this small apartment they oversaw their various real estate investments that included the square block of apartments of which their apartment was a part and a considerable stock portfolio that enabled them to donate so generously to various charities. The Rebbetzin and Rabbi passed away in 1987 and 1994 respectively. The story behind how this French Rabbi and his Belgian wife came to live in the rustic neighborhood of North Park, San Diego is detailed below.
The information was gathered from personal interviews that I had with Rabbi Soille, as well as with Rabbi Eliezer Langer, the Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Beth Jacob. Rabbi Soille and my father owned several real estate investments together, and I named my son, Shimon Hirsh, in memory of Rabbi Soille.
Esther Webber and her two brothers were raised in Antwerp, Belgium. Her father was a diamond cutter. He was also an avid follower of current events. (His research led him to believe that communism would bring the coming of the messiah.) He provided his family with two homes, one in the city and a second one in the mountains. Esther’s grandfather from her mother’s side was Rabbi Yakov David Wilovsky, (the Ridbaz) who had written one of the most authoritative commentaries on the Jerusalem Talmud. Although he lived relatively recently, the Ridbaz was considered an authority on the Jerusalem Talmud and his commentary was printed inside the Jerusalem Talmud.
Rabbi Soille, his brother, and two sisters were raised in the Alsace -Lorraine region of France. Although his family was not at all observant of the Jewish rituals, the values of honesty and hard work were taught via his parents’ example. His father was a watchmaker by training, but he also knew how to fix heavy machinery. During World War One, his father was the manager at an arms factory. Prior to his accepting this position, the equipment frequently broke down, which enabled the workers to play cards. Rabbi Soille’s father was so adept at fixing the machinery that these intermissions ceased. His efforts were not at all appreciated, and one evening while walking home from the factory, workers beat his father up very severely. From then on Rabbi Soille’s mother joined his father at the factory so that she could accompany him on his way home.
While still a child, Henry was strongly influenced by his after-school Jewish teacher, who convinced him that he should not write when he attended his public-school classes on Saturday. Henry explained his decision to his parents who went along with it. Eventually he became a rabbinical student at “ L’Ecole Rabbinique de Paris,” a Yeshiva in Paris. While still a student at the Yeshiva, Rabbi Soille served as the librarian for the considerable collection of rare and other Jewish books and manuscripts in the Yeshiva’s library. One such rare manuscript was written by Maimonides in his own hand.
On account of his position as school librarian, he was the only student who was not subject to the school curfew. The other students at the Yeshiva considered Rabbi Soille a bit of a goody goody. Rabbi Soille did his best to get along with the other students. When students arrived past the curfew, they would enter the Yeshiva via the library window, which Rabbi Soille would open for them. Eventually he graduated and became a teacher at the Yeshiva, while still in this early 20s.
It was through his job as the school librarian that Rabbi Soille was introduced to Esther Webber. A journalist who frequented the Yeshiva’s library and knew Rabbi Soille well, arranged for Rabbi Soille and his parents to spend the Purim holiday with Esther Webber and her family in their mountain home. During dinner she placed all the flower arrangements and wine bottles between herself and Rabbi Soille blocking her view of him.
However, Rabbi Soille must have succeeded in charming her, for they were already considering marriage by the end of the weekend. Nevertheless, they decided that Rabbi Soille should come back to celebrate the Simchat Torah holiday with the family before they made any decisions.
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Part II tomorrow will review the Soille family’s experience during the Holocaust years.