Hasidic dynasties
The various Hasidic groups may be categorized along several parameters, including their geographical origin, their proclivity for certain teachings, and their political stance. These attributes are quite often, but by no means always, correlated, and there are many instances when a "court" espouses a unique combination.[1][2] Thus, while most dynasties from the former Greater Hungary and Galicia are inclined to extreme conservatism and anti-Zionism, Rebbe Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam led the Sanz-Klausenburg sect in a more open and mild direction;[3] and though Hasidim from Lithuania and Belarus are popularly perceived as prone to intellectualism, David Assaf noted this notion is derived more from their Litvak surroundings than their actual philosophies.[1] Apart from those, each "court" often possesses its unique customs, including style of prayer, melodies, particular items of clothing, and the like.
Contents
History
Hasidim and Mitnagdim
Orientation towards Zionism
On the political scale, "courts" are mainly divided on their relations to Zionism. The right-wing, identified with Satmar, are hostile to the State of Israel, and refuse to participate in the elections there or receive any state funding. They are mainly affiliated with the Edah HaChareidis and the Central Rabbinical Congress. The great majority belong to Agudas Israel, represented in Israel by the United Torah Judaism party. Its Council of Torah Sages now includes a dozen Rebbes. In the past, there were Religious Zionist Rebbes, mainly of the Ruzhin line, but there are virtually none today.[4]
In 2016, a study conducted by Prof. Marcin Wodziński, drawing from the courts' own internal phone-books and other resources, located 129,211 Hasidic households worldwide, about 5% of the estimated total Jewish population. Of those, 62,062 resided in Israel and 53,485 in the United States, 5,519 in Britain and 3,392 in Canada. In Israel, the largest Hasidic concentrations are in the Haredi neighbourhoods of Jerusalem – including Ramot Alon, Batei Ungarin, et cetera – in the cities of Bnei Brak and El'ad, and in the West Bank settlements of Modi'in Illit and Beitar Illit. There is considerable presence in other specifically Orthodox municipalities or enclaves, like Kiryat Sanz, Netanya. In the United States, most Hasidim reside in New York, though there are small communities across the entire country. Brooklyn, particularly the neighborhoods of Borough Park, Williamsburg, and Crown Heights, has an especially large population. So does the hamlet of Monsey in upstate New York. In the same region, New Square and Kiryas Joel are rapidly growing all-Hasidic enclaves, one founded by the Skver dynasty and the other by Satmar. In Britain, Stamford Hill is home to the largest Hasidic community in the country, and there are others in London and Prestwich in Manchester. In Canada, Kiryas Tosh is a settlement populated entirely by Tosh Hasidim, and there are more adherents of other sects in and around Montreal.[5]
Beyond the green line
- “Settlement across the Green Line became increasingly attractive, not for ideological but for economic reasons. Barukh Meir Shohet, the Rebbe of Karlin-Stolin, who emigrated from the United States in 1991, was the first to settle beyond the 1967 border when he founded a community in Givat Ze’ev just to the north of Jerusalem. Hasidim moved into new ultra-Orthodox towns in the West Bank: Immanuel (1983), Beitar Illit (1988), Modi’in Illit (1990), Elad (1994), and others. Naturally, much of the natural growth over the Green Line occurred in Orthodox (haredi) populations, amounting according to a 2015 survey to 40 percent of the total. Almost all the growth took place in two West Bank locales: Betar Illit and Modi’in Illit.
- Elad became a center for smaller branches of Hasidism, while Modi’in Illit managed to gain its own rebbe, Shlomo Rokeah of Yaroslav, a scion of the Belz dynasty, who broke off and formed a small court of his own, and Yeshaya Ruttenberg, the Rebbe of Ruzla, of the Koson dynasty. There are also Hasidim or quasi-Hasidim, especially associated with Chabad and Bratslav, in some of the illegal “hilltop” settlements in the West Bank. These youngsters are for the “most part of religious Zionist background and are not recognized as Hasidim by the mainstream Hasidic communities. In chapter 31 of this book, we will examine Yitshak Ginsburgh, who is loosely affiliated with Chabad but serves as a quasi-rebbe to certain elements in the settlement community.[6]
Hasidic dynasties
There are more than a dozen Hasidic dynasties with a large following, and over a hundred which have small or minuscule adherence, sometimes below twenty people, with the presumptive Rebbe holding the title more as a matter of prestige. Many "courts" became completely extinct during the Holocaust, like the Aleksander (Hasidic dynasty) from Aleksandrów Łódzki, which numbered tens of thousands in 1939, and barely exists today.[7]
- The largest sect in the world, with some 26,000 member households, which constitute 20% of all Hasidim, is Satmar, founded in 1905 in the namesake city in Hungary and based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Kiryas Joel. Satmar is known for its extreme conservatism and opposition to both Agudas Israel and Zionism, inspired by the legacy of Hungarian Haredi Judaism. The sect underwent a schism in 2006, and two competing factions emerged, led by rival brothers Aaron Teitelbaum and Zalman Teitelbaum.
- The second-largest "court" worldwide, with some 11,600 households (or 9% of all Hasidism), is Ger, established in 1859 at Góra Kalwaria, near Warsaw. For decades, it was the dominant power in Agudas, and espoused a moderate line toward Zionism and modern culture. Its origins lay in the rationalist Przysucha School of Central Poland. The current Rebbe is Yaakov Aryeh Alter.
- The third-largest dynasty is Vizhnitz, a charismatic sect founded in 1854 at Vyzhnytsia, Bukovina. A moderate group involved in Israeli politics, it is split into several branches, which maintain cordial relations. The main partition is between Vizhnitz-Israel and Vizhnitz-Monsey, headed respectively by Rebbes Israel Hager and the eight sons of the late Rebbe Mordecai Hager. In total, all Vizhnitz sub-"courts" constitute over 10,500 households.
- The fourth major dynasty, with some 7,000 households, is Belz, established 1817 in namesake Belz, south of Lviv. An Eastern Galician dynasty drawing both from the Seer of Lublin's charismatic-populist style and "rabbinic" Hasidism, it espoused hard-line positions, but broke off from the Edah HaChareidis and joined Agudas in 1979. Belz is led by Rebbe Yissachar Dov Rokeach.[5]
- The Bobover dynasty, founded 1881 in Bobowa, West Galicia, constitutes some 4,500 households in total, and has undergone a bitter succession strife since 2005, eventually forming the "Bobov" (3,000 households) and "Bobov-45" (1,500 households) sects.
- Sanz-Klausenburg, divided into a New York and Israeli branches, presides over 3,800 households.
- The Skver sect, established in 1848 in Skvyra, near Kyiv, constitutes 3,300.
- The Shomer Emunim dynasties, originating in Jerusalem during the 1920s and known for their unique style of dressing imitating that of the Old Yishuv, have over 3,000 families, almost all in the larger "courts" of Toldos Aharon and Toldos Avraham Yitzchak.
- Karlin Stolin, which rose already in the 1760s in a quarter of Pinsk, encompasses 2,200 families.[5]
There are two other populous Hasidic sub-groups, which do not function as classical Rebbe-headed "courts", but as de-centralized movements, retaining some of the characteristics of early Hasidism.[8]
- Breslov rose under its charismatic leader Nachman of Breslov in the early 19th century. Critical of all other Rebbes, he forbade his followers to appoint a successor upon his death in 1810. His acolytes led small groups of adherents, persecuted by other Hasidim, and disseminated his teachings. The original philosophy of the sect elicited great interest among modern scholars, and that led many newcomers to Orthodox Judaism ("repentants") to join it. Numerous Breslov communities, each led by its own rabbis, now have thousands of full-fledged followers, and far more admirers and semi-committed supporters; Marcin Wodziński estimated that the fully committed population of Breslovers may be estimated at 7,000 households.
- Chabad-Lubavitch, originating in the 1770s, did have hereditary leadership, but always stressed the importance of self-study, rather than reliance on the Righteous. Its seventh, and last, leader, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, converted it into a vehicle for Jewish outreach. By his death in 1994, it had many more semi-engaged supporters than Hasidim in the strict sense, and they are still hard to distinguish. Chabad's own internal phone-books list some 16,800 member households.[5] None succeeded Schneerson, and the sect operates as a large network of communities with independent leaders.
Dynasties with larger following
Hasidic dynasties (arranged alphabetically) with a large following include:
| Name | Current (or last) Rebbe | Founder | Headquartered In | City / Town of Origin | Estimated number of households | Zionism and Party political orientation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belz | Yissachar Dov Rokeach | Sholom Rokeach (1781–1855) | Jerusalem, Israel | Belz, Galicia, Austria-Hungary / Poland (now in Ukraine) | 7,000 | Agudat Yisrael - leadership role. Rebbe supported Degel HaTorah on its formation in 1988.[6] |
| Bobov (Bobov-45) |
Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam Mordechai Dovid Unger (b. 1954) |
Shlomo Halberstam of Bobov (1847–1905) | Borough Park, Brooklyn | Bobowa and Sanz, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now in Poland) | 4,500 - Some estimates: 100,000 Bobover Hasidim by 2000[9] | Non-Zionist but 'non-confrontational' towards Zionism; no IDF service. |
| Breslov | Sometimes referred to as the "Dead Hasidim", since they have never had another formal Rebbe since the death of their founder. | Nachman of Breslov in the early 19th century - died 1810 | Jerusalem | Bratslav, also known as "Breslov" and "Bracław", in contemporary Ukraine | Marcin Wodziński estimated that the fully committed population of Breslovers may be estimated at 7,000 households. | Unknown |
| Chabad-Lubavitch | Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994) | Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812) | Crown Heights, Brooklyn | Lyubavichi, Russia | >16,800 | Tend to view Agudat Yisrael as too conciliatory towards the Palestinians, much support for the far right parties apparent. |
| Ger | Yaakov Aryeh Alter (b. 1939) | Yitzchak Meir Alter (1799–1866) | Jerusalem, Israel | Góra Kalwaria, Russian Empire (now in Poland) | 11,600 | Agudat Yisrael - leadership role |
| Karlin-Stolin | Baruch Meir Yaakov Shochet | Aaron ben Jacob of Karlin (1736–1772) | Givat Zeev, Jerusalem, Israel |
Karlin, Belarus | 2,200 | Unknown |
| Sanz-Klausenburg | Tzvi Elimelech Halberstam; Shmuel Dovid Halberstam |
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (1796–1876) | Kiryat Sanz, Netanya, Israel; Borough Park, Brooklyn |
Kolozsvár, Hungary (now Cluj Napoca, Romania), and Sanz, Galicia (now in Poland) | 3,800 | Tacit support for Degel HaTorah on its formation.[6] |
| Satmar | Aaron Teitelbaum (b. 1947); Zalman Leib Teitelbaum (b. 1952) |
Joel Teitelbaum (1887–1979) | Kiryas Joel, New York; Williamsburg, Brooklyn |
Szatmárnémeti, Hungary (now Satu Mare, Romania) | 26,000 | conservative and anti-Zionist |
| Skver | David Twersky (b. 1940) | Yitzchak Twersky | New Square, New York | Skvira, Russian Empire (now in Ukraine) | 3,300 | Unknown |
| Vizhnitz | Yisroel Hager; Menachem Mendel Hager; Yisroel Hager; Menachem Mendel Hager; Yitzchak Yohanan Hager; Eliezer Ze'ev Hager; David Hager; Aharon Hager; Baruch Shimshon Hager |
Menachem Mendel Hager | Bnei Brak, Israel; Bnei Brak, Israel; Kaser, New York; Kiamesha Lake, New York; Williamsburg, Brooklyn; Jerusalem; London; Montreal; Beit Shemesh |
Vyzhnytsia, Bukovina, Austria-Hungary (now in Ukraine) | 10,500 | Agudat Yisrael - leadership role |
Hasidic dynasties (arranged alphabetically) with a small following include:
Resources
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6475277/Victim-born-ultra-orthodox-Jewish-community-tells-finally-courage-flee.html
- https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/5195/leaving-the-hasidic-community
- https://keszendroi.github.io/BAproject/
- https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-religion-jerusalem-israel-29fa429e432e87bdb2f62f7a5a1d95d7
- https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=sjc
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 David Assaf, חסידות פולין" או "החסידות בפולין": לבעיית הגיאוגרפיה החסידית', in: גלעד: מאסף לתולדות יהדות פולין.
- ↑ Dynner, pp. 29–30.
- ↑ Benjamin Brown, היהדות החרדית והמדינה, in: כשיהדות פוגשת מדינה, Israeli Democracy Institute, 2015. pp. 234–236.
- ↑ Brown, היהדות החרדית והמדינה. pp. 1–14, etc.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 All numbers are from: Marcin Wodziński, Historical Atlas of Hasidism, Princeton University Press, 2018. pp. 192–205.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 David Biale, David Assaf, Benjamin Brown, Uriel Gellman, Samuel Heilman, Moshe Rosman, Gadi Sagiv, Marcin Wodziński, Hasidism: a new history, Princeton University Press, 2018.
- ↑ Jacques Gutwirth, The Rebirth of Hasidism: From 1945 to the Present Day, Odile Jacob, 2004. pp. 106–108.
- ↑ Brown, היהדות החרדית והמדינה. p. 86.
- ↑ https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bobov
