Kosov (Hasidic dynasty)
Hasidic dynasty of the Hager family founded in Kosov in Galicia c. 1802, now led from Borough Park, Brooklyn
| Kosov | |
|---|---|
| Founded | Kosov, Galicia (now Kosiv, Ukraine) |
| Founder | Menachem Mendel of Kosov (c. 1768–1825) |
| Leader | Rebbe Menachem Mendel Duvid Hager |
| Headquarters | Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York |
| Type | Hasidic dynasty |
| Notes | |
Kosov is a Hasidic dynasty of the Hager family, named after the town of Kosov in Galicia (now Kosiv, Ukraine). The YIVO Encyclopedia treats it with its larger offshoot as the Kosov–Vizhnits dynasty, "an extensive line of tsadikim of the Hager family" whose descendants still serve as rebbes in Israel, the United States and Britain.[1]
A small Kosov court is based in Borough Park, Brooklyn. It was led by Rabbi Shraga Feivish Hager from 1999 until his death in 2024, and since 2024 by his son, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Duvid Hager.[2][3][4] Associations with the Kosov name are registered in Jerusalem, Safed, Bnei Brak and the West Bank settlement of Kochav Yaakov, in Brooklyn, and in the United Kingdom.
History
Founding in Kosov
The founder, Menachem Mendel of Kosov (c. 1768–1825), was a son of Ya'akov Koppel Hasid, a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. Born in Kolomea, he moved to Kosov after his marriage and served as its rabbi from 1790. After the death of his teacher, Tsevi Hirsh of Nadvorne, in 1802 he began to act as a Hasidic rebbe; the YIVO Encyclopedia calls him "the most important promulgator of Hasidism in Subcarpathian Rus'". His teachings were collected in Ahavat shalom (1833).[1]
Division of the dynasty
A dispute over the succession was settled by mediation. His eldest son, Hayim (c. 1795–1854), took his place in Kosov, and his second son, David (c. 1797–1848), founded a separate dynasty in nearby Zablotov; David's line split between Zablotov and Demichi and ceased to exist during the Holocaust.[1]
Hayim of Kosov was "one of the most important tsadikim active in Bucovina and Galicia", and his teachings were gathered in Torat Hayim (1856). After his death most of his followers went to his youngest son, Menachem Mendel (1830–1884), who set up a court in Vizhnits in Bucovina and married Miryam, daughter of Yisra'el of Ruzhin. From him descends the Vizhnitz dynasty. His grandsons held courts in towns including Zaleshchiki in Bucovina.[1]
The YIVO Encyclopedia records a controversy between Menachem Mendel of Kosov and Yitshak of Radzivil, and a long-running rivalry, which began in the lifetime of Hayim of Kosov, with the Teitelbaum family. In the 20th century some leaders of the dynasty were leaders of Agudath Israel and opposed Zionism, while others expressed sympathy for settlement in Palestine and for the Mizrachi movement.[1]
Borough Park
According to the Queens Jewish Link, the Borough Park court descends from the Zalishchik branch: the first Zalishchiker Rebbe was a son-in-law of Rabbi Moshe Hager, "the first Kossover Rebbe and author of Leket Oni". The Holocaust survivor Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel Hager was the Kossover–Zalishchiker Rebbe of Borough Park; on his death in 1999 he was succeeded by his eldest son, Shraga Feivish Hager (born 10 January 1958).[2]
Shraga Feivish Hager studied at Ponevezh, Chachmei Lublin and Beth Medrash Govoha, and married a granddaughter of Rabbi Shmuel Wosner. He led study halls in Borough Park (at 55th Street and 13th Avenue), Williamsburg, Lakewood and Jerusalem, served as a dayan of the Vizhnitz–Monsey community and sent regular support to the Kosov institutions of Safed. With his brother, the Zalishchiker Rebbe, he republished Leket Oni in 1996.[2] The Yeshiva World described the Kosov Hasidic group as "relatively small".[5]
He died on 29 June 2024 aged 66. His funeral began at his synagogue at 1353 55th Street, Brooklyn, and he was buried in the Vizhnitz cemetery in Monsey.[5] At the funeral it was announced that his sons Yakov Shamshon, of Borough Park, and Menachem Mendel Duvid, of Israel, would succeed him; Yakov Shamshon then gave up the position to his brother.[3] In August 2024 Boro Park 24 reported that Menachem Mendel Duvid Hager, who had always lived in Israel, was moving to Borough Park to lead the group.[4]
| Leader | Dates | Base | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menachem Mendel of Kosov | c. 1768–1825 | Kosov | Founder; Ahavat shalom[1] |
| Hayim of Kosov | c. 1795–1854 | Kosov | Eldest son; Torat Hayim[1] |
| Menachem Mendel of Vizhnits | 1830–1884 | Vizhnits | Youngest son of Hayim; founder of the Vizhnitz line[1] |
| Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel Hager | died 1999 | Borough Park | Kossover–Zalishchiker Rebbe[2] |
| Shraga Feivish Hager | 1958–2024 | Borough Park | Rebbe from 1999[2][5] |
| Menachem Mendel Duvid Hager | Borough Park | Rebbe from 2024[3][4] |
Institutions in Israel
Associations (amutot) with Kosov in their names on the Israeli Registrar of Associations include the following.[6][7]
| Association | Number | Registered | Status | Address | Income (latest report) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Va'ad Kollel Kosov Galicia in the Land of Israel (ועד כולל קאסוב גאליצייען בארץ ישראל) | 580059723 | 10 April 1984 | Registered | 9 Shaarei Hesed Street, Jerusalem | ₪281,876 (2016) |
| Agudat Hasidei Kosov (אגודת חסידי קוסוב) | 580145951 | 5 July 1989 | Struck off | Jerusalem | – |
| Kosov – Centre for Torah and Prayer in Safed (קוסוב - מרכז לתורה ולתפילה בצפת) | 580176147 | 9 August 1990 | Registered | 7 Keren HaYesod Street, Safed | ₪279,464 (2021) |
| Mosdot Kosov Vizhnitz (מוסדות קוסוב ויז'ניץ) | 580614469 | 20 August 2015 | Registered | 18 Ahavat Yisrael Street, Kochav Yaakov | ₪1,879,171 (2025) |
| Kollel Kosov named for the author of Leket Oni (כולל קאסוב על שם בעל הלקט עני בארה"ק) | 580656916 | 10 May 2018 | Registered | 13 Yitzhak Mirsky Street, Jerusalem | ₪193,511 (2025) |
| Kedoshei Eretz (קדושי ארץ) | 580806313 | 23 December 2024 | Registered | 16 Ahavat Shalom Street, Bnei Brak | ₪80,460 |
The registered objects of the Jerusalem kollel association 580059723, whose Ottoman-era registered name was Va'ad Kollel Kosov Galicia, include support for the poor of Jerusalem and a kollel named after the rebbes of Kosov. Association 580656916 collects donations for needy Kosov Hasidim, commemorates "Rabbi Moshe and Chaim, the Admorim of Kosov", and seeks to locate property dedicated to Kosov Hasidim. The objects of Kedoshei Eretz include commemorating "the tzaddikim of the house of Kosov Vizhnitz". The Safed association runs a synagogue, yeshiva, Talmud Torah, kindergartens and a mikveh.[6][7]
Mosdot Kosov Vizhnitz, whose objects are a junior and senior yeshiva, a kollel, an interest-free loan fund and help for large families, is registered in Kochav Yaakov, north of Jerusalem.[7] The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) describes Kochav Yaakov as an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, and reported in 2020 a plan for 3,541 housing units on 1,591 dunums of land belonging to Kafr 'Aqab, Burqa and Mukhmas to expand it.[8] In its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024 the International Court of Justice found that Israel's transfer of settlers to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and its maintenance of their presence there, is contrary to the sixth paragraph of article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.[9]
United States
The IRS Business Master File for New York lists these tax-exempt organisations with Kosov in their names. The address of Congregation Beis Kosov is that of the Rebbe's synagogue reported by The Yeshiva World.[10][5]
| Organisation | EIN | Address on IRS file | IRS ruling | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congregation Beth Kossov | 11-2822830 | c/o Hager, 1112 52nd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219 | October 1986 | Church[10] |
| Congregation Beis Kosov | 20-1530176 | 1353 55th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219 | November 2005 | Church[10] |
| Nshei Kosov | 93-4341539 | 1549 44th Street, Basement, Brooklyn, NY 11219 | January 2024 | Church[10] |
| Congregation Kosov | 33-1398251 | 4403 15th Avenue, Suite 194, Brooklyn, NY 11219 | December 2024 | In care of "Rabbi Mendel Hager"[10] |
| Mechon Safa Berira | 42-3786194 | 4403 15th Avenue, Suite 194, Brooklyn, NY 11219 | July 2026 | Sort name "Kosov"[10] |
No Kosov organisation appears on the IRS automatic revocation list.[11]
United Kingdom
Two charities with the Kosov name are registered with the Charity Commission. No source read for this page links either of them to the Borough Park court.
| Charity | Number | Registered | Address | Trustees | Latest year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beis Kosov | 1089737 | 11 December 2001 | 96 Lewis Gardens, London N16 5PJ | Alexander Halpert, Bernard Stern, Moishe Rottenberg | Year to 31 March 2025: income £296,209, spending £315,000[12] |
| Kosov Congregation | 1204559 | 1 September 2023 | White Lilacs, Leige Avenue, Canvey Island SS8 9PL | Abraham Yehuda Tambur (chair), Pinchas Schwimmer, Joseph Stern | Year to 30 November 2025: income £106,486, spending £2,575[13] |
Beis Kosov also operates as Hachnosas Orchim Noam Shabbos (London) and provides Sabbath and festival meals.[12] Kosov Congregation is a company limited by guarantee (Kosov Congregation Ltd, company number 14462057), incorporated on 4 November 2022; its three directors were appointed that day.[14] Its objects include financial support for Jewish adult religious education institutions and poverty relief in the UK and Israel.[13]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Gad Sagiv (translated by Jeffrey Green), Kosov-Vizhnits Hasidic Dynasty YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Shabsie Saphirstein, Remembering The Kossover Rebbe, Rav Shraga Feivish Hager Queens Jewish Link, 3 July 2024, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Boro Park 24, *REFRESH* Live Report and Photo Gallery: Levaye of the Kosov Rebbe Zt"l Boro Park 24, 30 June 2024, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Idy Perl, Kosover Rebbe Returns To Boro Park To Lead The Chassidus Boro Park 24, 22 August 2024, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Yeshiva World, BARUCH DAYAN HA'EMES: Petirah Of The Kosover Rebbe, HaRav Shraga Feivish Hager ZT"L [LEVAYA DETAILS] The Yeshiva World, 29 June 2024, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "קאסוב" data.gov.il, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "קוסוב" data.gov.il, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem, An Israeli settlement plan to seize 1591 dunums of Palestinian land north of Jerusalem POICA, 16 April 2020, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ International Court of Justice, Summary of the Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 icj-cij.org, 19 July 2024, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Internal Revenue Service, Exempt Organizations Business Master File Extract: New York irs.gov, 13 October 2026, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Internal Revenue Service, Automatic Revocation of Exemption List (data download) irs.gov, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Beis Kosov (1089737): full print Register of Charities, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Kosov Congregation (1204559): full print Register of Charities, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, KOSOV CONGREGATION LTD (14462057) Find and update company information, accessed 27 October 2026.