הרב ניסן ב״ר יעקב מרכל ז״ל
Rav of Bris Shalom for 25 Years
Yahrzeit: 5 Shevat | יארצייט: ה׳ שבט
Kever Location: Old Bris Shalom Cemetery, 588 Pine Ridge Heritage Blvd, Cheektowaga, NY 14225.
Arrival in Buffalo: 1921
Table of Contents
Overview
Rabbi Nissan Markel (1877–1947) served as rav of Buffalo’s Congregation Bris Shalom for approximately a quarter century. A native of Grajewo, Poland, he came to America in 1921 and authored Binas Nevonim, a work of Talmudic scholarship published in 1927. He is buried in Old Bris Shalom Cemetery in Cheektowaga.1
Early Life and Birth in Grajewo
Rabbi Nissan Markel was born in Grajewo, Poland, on February 16, 1877, the son of Rabbi Yaakov. Originally known by the surname Markowsky, he later adopted the shorter surname Markel in America. Before entering the rabbinate, he was involved in business. In 1921, he immigrated to the United States and settled in Buffalo, where he became rav of Congregation Bris Shalom.2
Rav of Buffalo’s Congregation Bris Shalom
In 1921, Rabbi Nissan Markel became rav of Congregation Bris Shalom at 171 Pine Street, on Buffalo’s East Side. Founded in 1865, the congregation was one of Buffalo’s longstanding Orthodox shuls. Its location gave it the familiar name “Pine Street Shul,” by which generations of Buffalo Jews knew it.3
Rabbi Markel’s association with the congregation lasted approximately a quarter century. Despite declining health, he continued guiding its religious affairs from his home during his final years.4
Binas Nevonim: Rabbi Nissan Markel’s Sefer
In 5687/1927, while living in Buffalo, Rabbi Nissan Markel published Binas Nevonim — בינת נבנים, a work of Talmudic analysis printed in Piotrków, Poland. Its title page describes five “gates of understanding,” devoted to explaining and clarifying the teachings of earlier Torah authorities. The word נבנים also incorporates his name: ניסן בן יעקב מרקובסקי—Nissan ben Yaakov Markowsky—with בן included in full. The final מ also corresponds to his shortened surname, Markel.5
Publishing from across the ocean brought difficulties. Rabbi Markel explained that his handwriting and the distance from the printer had contributed to numerous errors. The volume accumulated sixteen pages of corrections. Even the printed rendering of “Buffalo” received a correction—a memorable detail linking the sefer to the city where its author lived.6
Link to his Sefer on Hebrew Books: https://hebrewbooks.org/7480
His Family
Rabbi Markel’s wife was Rose, identified in his obituary as Rose Berenson Markel. He was survived by three daughters, listed in the newspaper as Mrs. Berl Berkun, Mrs. Alex Sosna, and Mrs. Beatrice Falk. Both sons predeceased him: Sydney, an attorney, died in 1935, and Lieutenant Hyman Markel was killed in Italy during World War II.78
Passing and Burial in Old Bris Shalom Cemetery
Rabbi Nissan Markel passed away at 69 on Saturday night, January 25, 1947, corresponding to 5 Shevat 5707. He was buried the following afternoon. His resting place is in Old Bris Shalom Cemetery, among the historic Jewish cemeteries along Pine Ridge Heritage Boulevard in Cheektowaga.9
Rabbi Markel’s matzeivah remembers him as a distinguished scholar and specifically identifies him as the author of Binas Nevonim. His Torah continues to be studied: in 5785/2025, the Buffalo collection Yomar Na Yisrael included his discussion “בגדר איסורי הנאה,” examining the legal status of objects from which benefit is forbidden. Nearly eight decades after his passing, his teachings appeared alongside those of later Buffalo rabbanim and Torah scholars.10
Sources, Footnotes & Links
- American Jewish Archives, The Concise Dictionary of American Jewish Biography, entry “Markel, Nisson”; Buffalo Courier-Express, “Rabbi Markel, Local Hebrew Scholar, Dies,” January 27, 1947; Binas Nevonim, Piotrków, 5687/1927.
The dictionary records his birthplace, dates, and immigration year. His contemporary obituary describes approximately 25 years of congregational leadership, while the sefer’s title page identifies its author as a resident of Buffalo.
American Jewish Archives — Rabbi Nissan Markel, PDF page 11
Buffalo Courier-Express — Original obituary
Binas Nevonim — Original title page ↩︎ - American Jewish Archives, The Concise Dictionary of American Jewish Biography, entry “Markel, Nisson”; Rambam Library, Am HaSefer, “בופללא צ״ל בופללא,” May 29, 2013; Rabbi Kalish, comment on Kevarim.com, March 1, 2013.
The dictionary supplies his birth date, birthplace, and immigration year, and identifies him as both a rabbi and businessman. The Rambam Library’s discussion documents his earlier surname and its change to Markel. Rabbi Kalish’s later comment describes his business career before entering the rabbinate; its additional claim that financial difficulties prompted the change has not been independently corroborated.
American Jewish Archives — Birth and immigration details
Rambam Library — Rabbi Markel’s earlier surname and background
Kevarim.com — Biographical comments on Rabbi Nissan Markel ↩︎ - Jewish Buffalo History Center, “Brith Sholem”; Yomar Na Yisrael, Buffalo, 5785/2025, p. 22.
The congregation’s history documents its founding and Pine Street address. The biographical note in Yomar Na Yisraeldates Rabbi Markel’s service from 5681/1921. The historical account dates the end of his tenure to 1945, while his contemporary obituary describes 25 years of leadership and continued guidance during illness. The precise transition between active service and his final years remains unclear.
Jewish Buffalo History Center — Congregation Bris Shalom
Yomar Na Yisrael — Biographical note on page 22 ↩︎ - Buffalo Courier-Express, “Rabbi Markel, Local Hebrew Scholar, Dies,” January 27, 1947.
The contemporary obituary describes 25 years of leadership and records his continued guidance of the congregation from home.
Buffalo Courier-Express — Original obituary clipping ↩︎ - Binas Nevonim, Piotrków, 5687/1927, title page; Rambam Library, Am HaSefer, May 29, 2013, and accompanying comment by Shmuel, June 17, 2013.
The title is printed בינת נבנים, without the vav usually included in Nevonim. The explanation connecting the title to the author’s name appears in a comment accompanying the Rambam Library’s article. The title page identifies Buffalo as his residence and Piotrków as the place of printing.
Binas Nevonim — HebrewBooks catalog and reader
Binas Nevonim — Original title page
Rambam Library — Article and explanation of the title ↩︎ - Rambam Library, Am HaSefer, “בופללא צ״ל בופללא,” May 29, 2013.
The article reproduces passages from the corrections and discusses the difficulties Rabbi Markel encountered when others handled proofreading overseas.
Rambam Library — Printing Rabbi Markel’s sefer across the Atlantic ↩︎ - Buffalo Courier-Express, “Rabbi Markel, Local Hebrew Scholar, Dies,” January 27, 1947.
The obituary supplies these family details. The daughters’ names are retained in the form printed in the original notice.
Buffalo Courier-Express — Family information ↩︎ - Jewish Journal, “Ceremony Honors Jewish Vet Killed in World War II,” February 27, 2013 — A Son’s Devotion and Sacrifice.
Rabbi Markel’s granddaughter, Hyla Merin, preserved a touching family recollection: her grandfather suffered from Parkinson’s disease, and his son Hyman would stand beside him on the bimah to support him during services. Hyman later served as a U.S. Army officer and was killed in Italy on May 3, 1945. In 2013, his military medals and personal belongings were reunited with his daughter, who had been born after his death. The account of Rabbi Markel’s illness and his son’s assistance is recorded as family testimony. The article’s immigration date differs from the archival dictionary and contemporary obituary; this biography follows those sources in using 1921.
Jewish Journal — Hyman Markel and his family’s memories ↩︎ - Buffalo Courier-Express, January 27, 1947; American Jewish Archives, The Concise Dictionary of American Jewish Biography; Rabbi Markel’s matzeivah.
The obituary reports a Saturday-night death, the dictionary gives January 25, and the matzeivah records 5 Shevat. These dates agree because 5 Shevat had already begun at sunset on January 25. The January 26 date appearing in some online listings corresponds to the daytime portion of the same Hebrew date.
Original obituary — Death and burial report
American Jewish Archives — January 25, 1947
Rabbi Markel’s matzeivah — Photograph ↩︎ - Rabbi Markel’s matzeivah; Yomar Na Yisrael, Buffalo, 5785/2025, pp. 22–32.
The matzeivah identifies his sefer and its treatment of halachah. The 2025 collection reprints his discussion and states that it comes from a new edition of Binas Nevonim expected to appear. This documents a reprinting project underway at that time; publication of the complete new edition has not been confirmed.
Matzeivah — Memorial to the author of Binas Nevonim
Yomar Na Yisrael — Rabbi Markel’s Torah, beginning on page 22 ↩︎