His father was a highly trained talmudic scholar from Warsaw, who attended some of the best yeshivas in pre-war Europe, including the Novardok yeshiva. In 1948, Chaim was abroad at the outbreak of the War of Independence, and chose not to return.
Chaim's father, a highly skilled talmudic scholar from Warsaw who studied at prestigious yeshivas like the Novardok in pre-war Europe, remained abroad when the War of Independence began. He chose not to return home.