MASHGIACH OF YESHIVAS BAIS YOSEF NOVARDOK IN BIALYSTOK
R' Yisroel Movshovitz Zatzal was beloved and admired by everyone. In Siberia he was the pillar of strength, whose relaxed smile went full force despite horrific conditions. R' Dovid Zaritzky Zatzal who learned in Radin writes about him, and how Bnei Torah from all Yeshivos looked up to him.
Sometimes there were Bachurim in Bialystok who got carried away in Avodas Hashem, and they needed an “air conditioner” to cool them down. R' Yisroel was the perfect person who knew how to deal with them. One of the top Novardokers (I believe it was R' Nekritz Zatzal) once felt that he needed to “cool off”, so he spent a few weeks learning Chasidishe Seforim.
By the way, he wasn’t at all a Misnaged, to even the most controversial Chasid. He had roots and a background that gave him a good Chasidishe exposure. (Unfortunately, much Machlokes goes on only because people don’t really know the other Shita, and they judge from the distance).
I personally know more than one person of great stature who loves “the other Derech”, because they had been exposed more than their contemporaries.
