R. Reuven Yehoshua Zeleg Ashkenazi son of R. Leib

Piltene

His father served as rabbi in Jurburg, district of Kovna. He studied in Volozhin.

By his first marriage, son-in-law of R. Simcha, brother of the Gaon R. Chaim of Volozhin. By his second marriage, brother-in-law of R. Zeleg, rabbi of Hasenpoth.

He served here as rabbi for many years.

Afterward he left the rabbinate and moved to Žagarė, where he passed away in approximately 5591 (1831).1)

Toldot Yeshivat HaYehudim BeCourland, pp. 145 ff., with his biography at length.

Latvia and Rabbis

1)
In Yidishe Shtet, p. 230, it is written that he served as rabbi in Jurburg before serving here as rabbi (previously noting that R. Leib served there as rabbi, but not mentioning at all that he was his father), but R. Avitzinsky writes that his father was rabbi there, not he. Also written there that he was born approximately in 1780–90 — approximately 5540–5550 — and this is not plausible, since according to R. Avitzinsky he passed away around 5591 and thus would have died young, while his tenure here lasted many years and it is not mentioned that he died young.