Modzitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Hasidic dynasty from Modrzyce (Dęblin) in Poland, known for its music, based since the 1930s–40s in Tel Aviv and since 1995 in Bnei Brak
| Modzitz | |
|---|---|
| Founded | Modrzyce (Dęblin), near Radom, Poland |
| Founder | Israel Taub (1849–1920 or 1921) |
| Leader | Rebbe Chaim Shaul Taub |
| Headquarters | Bnei Brak, Israel |
| Type | Hasidic dynasty |
| Notes | |
Modzitz (also Modzhitz or Modzits) is a Hasidic dynasty named after Modrzyce, the old Polish name of Dęblin, near Radom in Poland, where its founder, Israel Taub, settled in 1888.[1][2] It descends from Yehezkel of Kuzmir (Kazimierz Dolny) and is best known for its music.[1][3] According to The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, edited by Tzvi Rabinowicz, Modzitz "was the first to place all of its emphasis on music and to bring music to the level of an art".[1] The second rebbe, Shaul Yedidya Elazar Taub, fled Poland at the start of the Second World War and settled in Tel Aviv in 1947. The court moved to Bnei Brak in 1995.[4][5] The present rebbe is Chaim Shaul Taub.[6]
History
Origins and Israel Taub
The historians David Biale and his co-authors describe Modzitz as "a relatively small branch of Hasidism in Poland" that is one of the groups "most famous for its enormous body of niggunim" (Hasidic melodies). They trace it to Yehezkel of Kuzmir (Kazimierz Dolny).[7][3] According to the Encyclopedia, Israel Taub was the son of Shmuel Eliyahu of Zwolen (1828–1888), himself the son of Yehezkel of Kuzmir. Israel Taub was born in Racionz and married the daughter of Hayyim Saul Freedman of Ozarov, one of the best-known cantors in Poland. When his father died in 1888 he settled in Dęblin, which the Hasidim called Modzitz, and his court became "a center for melody".[2][8]
In 1913 he became dangerously ill with diabetes, and one of his legs was amputated in Berlin. The Encyclopedia says he refused anaesthetics and composed a setting of Psalm 77, Ezkerah Elokim VeEhemayah, on the operating table. The piece has 32 movements and became a Modzitz classic.[2][1] The Encyclopedia says the piece takes an hour and a half to perform in its Modzitz entry and half an hour in its entry on Israel Taub.[1][2] A year later he moved to Warsaw, where he died. The Encyclopedia gives his death as 19 Kislev 1921, Hasidism in Israel gives 13 Kislev 1921, and Biale and his co-authors give 1920 on one page and 1921 on another.[2][9][10][3] In his book Divrei Yisrael he compared the seven notes of the scale to the seven spheres in the Kabbalistic account of creation and to the seven days of the week.[2]
Shaul Yedidya Elazar Taub
His son, Shaul Yedidya Elazar Taub, was born in Ozarov. The Encyclopedia gives his birth year as 1882, Biale and his co-authors give 1886 or 1887, and Rabinowicz's Hasidism in Israel gives Hoshanah Rabbah 1887.[4][10][3][9] He had no musical training but, according to Biale and his co-authors, composed about a third of the roughly 4,000 Modzitz melodies.[3] He lived in Rakov and Karczev and moved to Otwock near Warsaw in 1929. He founded the Tiferet Yisrael yeshiva in memory of his father. He visited the Holy Land in 1925, 1935 and 1938, and on his first visit was received by the British High Commissioner, Herbert Samuel.[4] The Encyclopedia says he "strongly condemned" the British White Paper of 1939, and Hasidism in Israel says he called it a "breach of faith".[4][9] According to Hasidism in Israel, he urged neighbouring rebbes to leave Poland, but only Shimon Shalom Kalish of Amshinov did so.[9]
When war broke out he fled to Vilna and travelled through Siberia and Japan, reaching the United States in 1940. There he settled in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[4][8] Hasidism in Israel describes the route through Vladivostok, Kobe and San Francisco.[11] Mishpacha magazine dates his flight from Poland to 1938.[6] He settled in Tel Aviv in the summer of 1947. The Encyclopedia says he died on 29 November 1947, "the day the United Nations recommended the establishment of a Jewish state", and was the last person buried on the Mount of Olives before it came under Jordanian control.[8] Hasidism in Israel gives the same day (29 November, 16 Kislev) but prints the year as 1948. It says he arrived in Tel Aviv on Rosh Hodesh Tammuz 1947 and was buried on the Mount of Olives on the advice of the Hazon Ish.[11] Mishpacha gives the date as 9 November 1947 and says he "never realized the dream of aliyah", although he was buried in the Holy Land.[6] Israel National News reported that he composed Hallel marches in anticipation of a Jewish state.[12]
Shmuel Eliyahu Taub
Shmuel Eliyahu Taub (1906–1984), the son of Shaul Yedidya Elazar, was born in Lublin. The Encyclopedia gives his birthday as 5 April, while Hasidism in Israel gives Rosh Hodesh Adar. His mother was a daughter of Abraham Eger of Lublin.[8][13] He went with his father to the Holy Land in 1935, stayed, and joined the Tel Aviv rabbinate. He succeeded his father in 1947.[8] He was a member of Agudat Israel and of its Council of Torah Sages, composed twelve new melodies a year, and set up the Imrei Shaul yeshiva and prayer houses in Tel Aviv.[8] Hasidism in Israel says he lived modestly on Kfar Giladi Street in Tel Aviv and, after becoming rebbe, moved to Dizengoff Street, where he had a study house, a ritual bath and a bakery for matzot shemurah. It dates the Imrei Shaul yeshiva to 1981 on one page and 1982 on another. He died on 4 Iyar 1984 and was buried on the Mount of Olives.[13]
Yisrael Dan Taub
Yisrael Dan Taub was born in Warsaw in 1928 and came to Palestine in 1936.[5][12] The Encyclopedia gives his birth year as 1948, which does not match these sources.[8] His mother, Rebecca Zlata, descended from Yehiel Michel of Zlotchov. He married Malkah, the daughter of Shmuel Shiderowski, originally from Bialystok and later an Agudat Israel leader in Tel Aviv. He served for three years on the Tel Aviv rabbinate and became rebbe in 1984.[5][13] He enlarged the Imrei Shaul yeshiva, which his son Chaim Shaul ran, and there were Modzitz prayer houses in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Rabinowicz wrote that he "steers clear of confrontations". On Lag BaOmer 1995 he moved the court from Tel Aviv to Habakkuk Street in Bnei Brak.[5][13] Biale and his co-authors also note the move of Modzitz from Tel Aviv to Bnei Brak.[14]
Mishpacha reports that he had a stroke on 14 Elul 5765 (2005) and died nine months later, on 20 Sivan.[6] Israel National News reported his death in June 2006 at the age of 78. It described him as a member of the Council of Torah Sages and said he was buried on the Mount of Olives beside his father.[12]
Chaim Shaul Taub
Chaim Shaul Taub was born in Adar 5711 (1951). Mishpacha says that when the Hasidim returned from his father's funeral, the senior Hasid Moshe Lerner announced that Chaim Shaul had been chosen as the fifth rebbe of Modzitz. It adds that his brother, Pinchas Moshe Taub, later became the rebbe of Kuzmir.[6] Hasidism in Israel describes Chaim Shaul as a son-in-law of the rebbe of Aleksander.[13] The Yeshiva World reported his first visit to the United States as rebbe in February 2007.[15]
Music
According to the Encyclopedia, Modzitz music includes marches, dances and long meditative works, and the dynasty did not adapt secular tunes. It names Idel Kaufman Idelsson and the cantor Azriel David Fastag among the Hasidim who composed Modzitz melodies.[1][16] It also credits Ben Zion Shenker (born 1925) of Brooklyn with notating and recording the Modzitz repertoire.[16] Biale and his co-authors date Shenker's recordings from 1950.[17] They also discuss the stories that the Holocaust song "Ani Ma'amin" was composed by a Modzitz Hasid on a train to a death camp, and say these stories "have all the earmarks of a folktale".[18] Hasidism in Israel attributes the melody to Azriel David Fastag (spelled Pastag there).[19]
Settlements
A Modzitz association is registered in Beitar Illit. Beit Yosef Dov – Modzitz Beitar Illit (בית יוסף דב - מודז'יץ ביתר עילית, 580800290) was registered on 17 September 2024 at Kedushat Levi Street 88, Beitar Illit 9054826. Its objects include youth activities, Torah study for fathers and sons on Sabbaths and festivals, and children's psalm and prayer groups.[20] Beitar Illit is an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. In 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem "have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law".[21]
Rebbes
| # | Rebbe | Dates | Rebbe from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Israel Taub | 1849 – 1920 or 13 Kislev 1921 | 1888 (Modzitz) |
| 2 | Shaul Yedidya Elazar Taub | 1882, 1886 or 1887 – November 1947 | 1921 |
| 3 | Shmuel Eliyahu Taub | 1906 – 4 Iyar 1984 | 1947 |
| 4 | Yisrael Dan Taub | 1928 – 20 Sivan 2006 | 1984 |
| 5 | Chaim Shaul Taub | born 1951 | 2006 |
Legal cases
No criminal conviction, civil judgment or reported allegation of sexual abuse, fraud or money laundering involving the Modzitz rebbes or the dynasty's registered institutions was found in the court records and press reports consulted.
Charities and trustees
United Kingdom
Searches of the Charity Commission for England and Wales register and of Companies House for "Modzitz" return no charity or company linked to the dynasty.[22][23]
Canada
The Canada Revenue Agency's 2024 list of charities contains no organisation named "Modzitz", "Modzhitz" or "Modzits".[24]
United States
Searches of ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer for "Modzitz" and "Modzhitz" return no organisation linked to the dynasty.[25][26]
Israel
Searches of the Israeli Registrar of Associations for "מודזיץ" and "מודז'יץ" (Modzitz) return the following associations linked to the dynasty. Lechu Neranena of Givat Shmuel, which mentions Modzitz only as one of the prayer styles it uses, is left out.[27][20]
| Association | Number | Registered | Address (register) | Status | Latest reported income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeshiva, Kollel Avrechim and Institutions Imrei Shaul of Modzitz Hasidim (ישיבה כולל אברכים ומוסדות אמרי-שאול דחסידי מודזיץ) | 580055747 | 13 July 1984 | Habakuk Street 20, Bnei Brak 5137314 | Registered | ₪11,958,501 (2024) |
| Centre of Modzitz Institutions in the Holy Land (מרכז מוסדות מודז'יץ בארה"ק) | 580695310 | 7 January 2020 | Habakuk Street 20, Bnei Brak 5137314 | Registered | ₪1,578,102 (2024) |
| Nachalat Dan Torah, Charity and Kindness Enterprises of Modzitz Hasidim (מפעלי התורה, הצדקה והחסד נחלת דן דחסידי מודז'יץ) | 580566354 | 26 November 2012 | Elkana Street 1, Jerusalem 9531001 | Registered | ₪1,615,499 (2025) |
| Nachalat Dan Institutions Jerusalem (מוסדות נחלת דן ירושלים) | 580793321 | 24 June 2024 | Natronai Gaon Street 4, Jerusalem 9548504 | Registered | ₪130,531 (2025) |
| Agudat Chasidei Modzitz Jerusalem (אגודת חסידי מודזיץ ירושלים) | 580712735 | 2 December 2020 | HaSanhedrin Street 6, Jerusalem 9725704 | Registered | ₪26,529 (2024) |
| Olam HaChesed – Modzitz (עולם החסד - מודז'יץ) | 580762250 | 20 February 2023 | HaRav Pardo Moshe Street 3, Bnei Brak 5154403 | Registered | ₪240,683 (2024) |
| Gemach Chasdei Yisrael of Modzitz Hasidim (גמילות חסדים חסדי ישראל דחסידי מודז'יץ) | 580665651 | 10 June 2018 | Zeitlin Street 22, Bnei Brak 5132621 | Registered | ₪179,234 (2022) |
| Keren Gemach of Modzitz Hasidim (קרן גמ"ח דחסידי מודז'יץ) | 580575504 | 23 June 2013 | Gutmacher Street 13, Bnei Brak 5139024 | Registered | ₪0 (2025) |
| Institute for Documenting and Preserving Modzitz Melodies (המכון לתיעוד ושימור ניגוני מודזיץ) | 580537777 | 23 January 2011 | Rabbi Tarfon Boulevard 5, Bnei Brak 5142004 | Registered | ₪0 (2022) |
| Chasdei Moshe – Modzitz Ashdod (חסדי משה - מודז'יץ אשדוד) | 580630911 | 30 August 2016 | Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi Street 12, Ashdod 7765354 | Registered | ₪237,418 (2024) |
| Modzitz Hasidim Centre Tiberias (מרכז דחסידי מודז'יץ טבריה) | 580734069 | 30 December 2021 | Derech Maran 5, Tiberias 1431802 | Registered | ₪45,182 |
| Beit Yosef Dov – Modzitz Beitar Illit (בית יוסף דב - מודז'יץ ביתר עילית) | 580800290 | 17 September 2024 | Kedushat Levi Street 88, Beitar Illit 9054826 | Registered | ₪31,762 (2025) |
| Irgun Tzeirei Chasidei Modzitz (ארגון צעירי חסידי מודז'יץ) | 580220994 | 12 May 1993 | Tel Aviv-Yafo 63262 | Deleted |
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Tzvi M. Rabinowicz (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1996, ISBN 1-56821-123-6, p. 321.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Tzvi M. Rabinowicz (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1996, ISBN 1-56821-123-6, p. 479.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 David Biale, David Assaf, Benjamin Brown, Uriel Gellman, Samuel C. Heilman, Moshe Rosman, Gadi Sagiv and Marcin Wodziński, Hasidism: A New History, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2018, p. 215.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Tzvi M. Rabinowicz (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1996, ISBN 1-56821-123-6, p. 480.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Tzvi Rabinowicz, Hasidism in Israel: A History of the Hasidic Movement, Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson, 2000, p. 174.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Aryeh Ehrlich, Torah of a Niggun Mishpacha, 8 December 2015, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ David Biale, David Assaf, Benjamin Brown, Uriel Gellman, Samuel C. Heilman, Moshe Rosman, Gadi Sagiv and Marcin Wodziński, Hasidism: A New History, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2018, p. 214.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Tzvi M. Rabinowicz (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1996, ISBN 1-56821-123-6, p. 481.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Tzvi Rabinowicz, Hasidism in Israel: A History of the Hasidic Movement, Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson, 2000, p. 176.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 David Biale, David Assaf, Benjamin Brown, Uriel Gellman, Samuel C. Heilman, Moshe Rosman, Gadi Sagiv and Marcin Wodziński, Hasidism: A New History, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2018, p. 620.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Tzvi Rabinowicz, Hasidism in Israel: A History of the Hasidic Movement, Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson, 2000, p. 177.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Hillel Fendel, Modzhitzer Rebbe Passes Away Israel National News, 18 June 2006, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Tzvi Rabinowicz, Hasidism in Israel: A History of the Hasidic Movement, Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson, 2000, p. 175.
- ↑ David Biale, David Assaf, Benjamin Brown, Uriel Gellman, Samuel C. Heilman, Moshe Rosman, Gadi Sagiv and Marcin Wodziński, Hasidism: A New History, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2018, p. 709.
- ↑ Modzitzer Rebbe on first visit as Rebbe to the USA The Yeshiva World, 6 February 2007, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Tzvi M. Rabinowicz (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1996, ISBN 1-56821-123-6, p. 322.
- ↑ David Biale, David Assaf, Benjamin Brown, Uriel Gellman, Samuel C. Heilman, Moshe Rosman, Gadi Sagiv and Marcin Wodziński, Hasidism: A New History, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2018, p. 800.
- ↑ David Biale, David Assaf, Benjamin Brown, Uriel Gellman, Samuel C. Heilman, Moshe Rosman, Gadi Sagiv and Marcin Wodziński, Hasidism: A New History, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2018, p. 670.
- ↑ Tzvi Rabinowicz, Hasidism in Israel: A History of the Hasidic Movement, Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson, 2000, p. 173.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "מודז'יץ" data.gov.il, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ International Court of Justice, Summary of the Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 icj-cij.org, 19 July 2024, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Register of Charities search results for "Modzitz" Charity Commission for England and Wales, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, Search results for "Modzitz" Find and update company information, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Canada Revenue Agency, 2024 List of charities (identification, directors/officers and programme files; searched for "Modzitz", "Modzhitz" and "Modzits") Open Government Portal, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ ProPublica, Search results for "Modzitz" Nonprofit Explorer, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ ProPublica, Search results for "Modzhitz" Nonprofit Explorer, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "מודזיץ" data.gov.il, accessed 29 October 2026.