Mrs. Rivka Kravitsky, matriarch of a Chabad family who was a woman of legendary mesiras nefesh, quiet courage, and deep chesed, passed away on Monday, 8 Cheshvan, 5787.
She was 90.
Born on Chof Elul, 5696 (1936) in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) to her esteemed parents, Reb Avraham Mendel Rubashkin and Mrs. Nechama (née Beznikov)—whose father was the eldest son-in-law of Reb Meir Simcha Chein—she was raised in a home steeped in Chassidishe warmth and steadfast loyalty to Torah and mitzvos.
During World War II, as the siege tightened around Leningrad, her family managed to escape on one of the very last outbound trains just before the devastating blockade closed. Traveling across war-torn regions, the family arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which had become a sanctuary for thousands of Lubavitcher Chassidim who preserved authentic Yiddishkeit beneath the shadow of war.
Following the war, her family relocated to Moscow, where they became an integral part of the Lubavitch underground, preserving Yiddishkeit behind the Iron Curtain.
In 5721 (1961), she married Reb Naftali Kravitsky, a”h, a brilliant scientist and deeply devoted Chassid of the Rebbe. Together, despite the suffocating atmosphere of Soviet surveillance and communist oppression, they built a home grounded in uncompromising Chassidishkeit and the highest standards of Torah values.
With rare wisdom, inner steel, and great bravery, Mrs. Kravitsky took the extraordinary risk of keeping her children out of the Soviet public school system—defying communist law at immense personal peril.
Her fierce determination shielded her children from anti-religious indoctrination, ensuring they received a pure, authentic Jewish upbringing in the heart of Soviet Moscow.
In 5731 (1971), the Kravitsky family was finally granted permission to leave the Soviet Union. Following the direct instructions of the Rebbe, they settled in the nascent Chassidic enclave of Nachalas Har Chabad in Kiryat Malachi, Israel, where she resided for the next 55 years.
Known for her boundless kindness, she dedicated herself for many years to the community’s elderly and lonely, lovingly cooking and personally serving them hot, nutritious daily lunches. Her quiet acts of kindness brought dignity, warmth, and sustenance to countless souls.
She is remembered as a pillar of steadfast faith, a heroine of the Soviet underground, and a woman whose life was devoted to the Rebbe, her family, and acts of Chesed.
She is survived by her children: Rabbi Shmulik Kravitsky – Crown Heights, Mrs. Sarah Reichman – Rehovot, Rabbi Avremi Kravitsky – Nachalas Har Chabad and Mrs. Shifra Cohen – Bnei Brak, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren following in the path of Torah and Chassidus.
She was predeceased by her husband, Reb Naftali Kravitsky, a”h.
The Levaya will take place today, at Bais Eliyahu Shul in Kiryat Malachi, 5:30 PM
Shiva in Nachlas Har Chabad, Kiryat Malachi.
Shiva by phone will be updated.
Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes.
