Rabbi Yitzchak Sufrin, known to many as ‘Icky,’ a shliach who was active in spreading Yiddishkeit in small communities across England and Scotland, passed away on Tuesday night, 17 Shevat.

He was 87 years old. 

Rabbi Yitzchak Sufrin was born in London in the late 1930’s, to parents Yosef Chaim and Fayge Sufrin. During the German bombing of England, where many members of his mother’s family were killed, he and his family moved to a small town named Buntingford to escape the bombing. 

He later moved to London and then to Manchester, where he went to yeshiva. It was there that he met Rabbi Yitzchok Dubov a’’h, who brought him to Lubavitch, and resulted in him becoming a mekusher to the Rebbe. 

He then went to Gateshead yeshiva, and after several years, he was asked to stay on as a house master of the school. Rabbi Sufrin asked the Rebbe whether or not he should stay on, to which the Rebbe responded that He should stay in a Mosed Chinuch.

After a few years in that role, he moved back to London, where he became a teacher at Beis Lubavitch, and it was there that he met his late wife Miriam (Nachum), who was also teaching there at the time. After he got married, he became a Shliach with the unique role of being responsible for all of the remote Jewish communities around England and Scotland. 

He would travel weekly to these small communities, bringing them Jewish services and religious articles. He started the first mobile kosher food truck, bringing kosher food to those who needed it. Additionally, he compiled and published one of the first Jewish outreach magazines in England, called Concord.

At one stage, when there were many other publications available, Rabbi Sufrin stopped the publication. He then received an urgent phone call from the Rebbe’s Mazkir, Rabbi Hodakov, asking on the Rebbe’s behalf why he had not seen it published that month, to which Rabbi Sufrin assured the Rebbe that he would continue printing the publication. 

Over the many years of his shlichus, he brought hundreds of people to Yiddishkeit and touched the lives of many more. He was put in charge of placing all of the shluchim currently serving around England, in all of the towns and small communities that he served. He ran an organization called “Lubavitch Friends of Small Communities,” and on each Rosh Chodesh, he would call the shluchim in these towns to make sure they had everything they needed. 

He was a pioneer in the deprogramming of yidden who ended up in cults in the 70s and 80s and took many of them out through strategic measures. He was also active in Anti-Shmad, where he was instrumental in preventing many intermarriages. 

He is survived by his children: Mrs. Rivkah Turner (Crown Heights), R’ Yanki Sufrin (Crown Heights), R’ Aryeh Moishe Sufrin (Crown Heights), R’ Shloimie Sufrin (London, UK), Mrs. Chaya Sara Berns (Crown Heights), R’ Mendel Sufrin (Crown Heights), R’ Levi Sufrin (Boca Raton, FL), Mrs. N. Dina Press (Gainesville, FL), and Mrs. Chana Brochah Shifrin (Thousand Oaks, CA).

He is also survived by a brother and three sisters.

He was predeceased by his wife Miriam, in June 2025.

The levaya will take place in London, starting in Schonfeld Square at around noon and will proceed to Adas Yisrael Cemetery in Cheshunt.

New York shiva details to follow.

Boruch dayan hoemes