Toldos Aharon (Hasidic dynasty) - Revision history

Chabad Bot: Add 1996 split and majority (Behadrei Haredim), Israeli amutot table (Registrar of Associations), Companies House details for Toldos Aharon Trust Limited

2026-10-27T07:45:14Z

Add 1996 split and majority (Behadrei Haredim), Israeli amutot table (Registrar of Associations), Companies House details for Toldos Aharon Trust Limited

Chabad Bot: New page: Toldos Aharon Hasidic group (YIVO, Ynet, Yeshiva World, Charity Commission sources)

2026-10-27T07:15:57Z

New page: Toldos Aharon Hasidic group (YIVO, Ynet, Yeshiva World, Charity Commission sources)

New page

{{short description|'''Hasidic group based in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, which grew out of Aharon Roth's Shomer Emunim fellowship and is strongly anti-Zionist'''}}
{{Hasidic sidebar}}
{{Infobox religious group
| name = Toldos Aharon
| type = [[Hasidic dynasties|Hasidic dynasty]]
| founder = [[Aharon Roth]] (1894–1947)
| founded_date = {{Start date|1921}}
| founded_place = [[Satu Mare]] (Szatmár), now Romania
| headquarters = [[Mea Shearim]], [[Jerusalem]]
| leader_title = Rebbe
| leader_name = [[Dovid Kohn]]
| notes = Also spelt Toldot Aharon ("Generations of Aharon"); followers are also known as Reb Arele's Hasidim.<ref name="YIVORoth" /><ref name="Ynet2025" />
}}
'''Toldos Aharon''' (also '''Toldot Aharon''', "Generations of Aharon") is a [[Hasidic dynasties|Hasidic group]] based in the [[Mea Shearim]] neighbourhood of [[Jerusalem]]. It grew out of the fellowship that [[Aharon Roth]] (1894–1947) called [[Shomer Emunim (Hasidic dynasty)|Shomre Emunim]] ("Guardians of Faith"). The YIVO Encyclopedia describes the group, known as Reb Arele's, as "the most visible representative of radical Hasidic anti-Zionism in Jerusalem".<ref name="YIVORoth" /> According to Ynet, it numbers nearly 2,000 families and "fiercely opposes Zionism and the State of Israel".<ref name="Ynet2025" />

In the UK, [[Toldos Aharon Trust Limited]] runs a synagogue at 94 Stamford Hill, London N16 6XS, and its accounts say that it "also raises money for the Grand Rabbi of Toldos Aharon's network of schools and talmudical colleges".<ref name="CCTA" /><ref name="TAacc" />

== History ==
=== Aharon Roth ===
Roth was born in [[Uzhhorod|Ungvár]]. From the age of 16 to 20 he studied Talmud in [[Vác]] under Yesha'yahu Silberstein. He then studied Hasidic practice under Galician leaders who had fled to Hungary during the First World War, including [[Yissachar Dov Rokeach|Yisakhar Dov Rokeaḥ]] of [[Belz (Hasidic dynasty)|Belz]] and, in particular, [[Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Bluzhev|Tsevi Elimelekh Shapira of Bluzhev]].<ref name="YIVORoth" />

After he settled in [[Satu Mare]] (Szatmár) in 1920 a small group gathered around him. It grew until he left for Jerusalem in 1925, where he set up a second base, but four years later he returned to Satu Mare.<ref name="YIVORoth" /> Ynet dates the founding of the group to 1921.<ref name="Ynet2025" /> Roth criticised the scandals and political struggles of the larger dynasties. He called his group Shomre Emunim, set out rules for its behaviour, dress and hairstyle, and described it as a holy fraternity rather than a royal-style court.<ref name="YIVORoth" />

His following provoked resentment, especially among followers of the [[Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)|Satmar]] rebbe, [[Joel Teitelbaum|Yo'el Teitelbaum]]. By 1936 the conflict had become openly violent, and Roth moved to [[Berehove|Beregovo]] (Beregszász) in Czechoslovakia, although many of his followers and the study hall he had built stayed in Satu Mare. He returned to Jerusalem in late 1939. Most of his Hungarian disciples were later murdered by the Nazis.<ref name="YIVORoth" />

In 1942 Roth wrote his two-volume main work, ''Shomer emunim''. Like Teitelbaum, he gave Zionism no redemptive role. He blamed secularism and Zionism for provoking God's anger, and he stated that if proper standards of dress had been kept, the Nazi decrees would not have come about. His other works include ''Tohorat ha-kodesh'' (1930), ''Shulḥan tahor'' (1933), ''No'am ha-levavot'' (1934), ''Igrot shomer emunim'' (1942) and ''Osef mikhtavim'' (1943); his ethical will was published as ''Kuntres tsava'ah'' (1947).<ref name="YIVORoth" />

=== The split and succession ===
Roth died in 1947. His group then split into two rival bodies: a smaller one, which kept the name Shomre Emunim, followed his son, while the larger one, Toldos Aharon, was led by his son-in-law.<ref name="YIVORoth" /> The son-in-law, [[Avrohom Yitzchok Kohn]], was succeeded in 1996 by [[Dovid Kohn]], who was 78 at the time of the Ynet report in 2025.<ref name="Ynet2025" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Leaders
! Leader !! Role !! Period
|-
| [[Aharon Roth]] (1894–1947) || Founder of Shomre Emunim || 1920s–1947<ref name="YIVORoth" />
|-
| [[Avrohom Yitzchok Kohn]] || Roth's son-in-law; first Rebbe of Toldos Aharon || 1947–1996<ref name="YIVORoth" /><ref name="Ynet2025" />
|-
| [[Dovid Kohn]] || Rebbe || 1996–present<ref name="Ynet2025" />
|}

== Beliefs and practice ==
The YIVO Encyclopedia says that the group's growth, its prominent place in Mea Shearim, its distinctive gold "Jerusalemite" robes and white knitted skullcaps, and its "vocal opposition to any intrusions on their sectarian values" have put it at the forefront of the anti-Zionist camp.<ref name="YIVORoth" /> According to Ynet, men wear striped caftans that change colour between weekdays and the Sabbath. Women wear a tightly wrapped black headscarf, white on the Sabbath, and shaving the head is treated as an obligation.<ref name="Ynet2025" />

The sociologist Sima Zalcberg-Blak of [[Ariel University]] spent seven years studying the group's women for her book ''They Still Sit and Sew''. She told Ynet that men and women in the group have limited formal education and that their main language is Yiddish. Girls' schools teach Jewish history but do not mention Zionism, and girls are taught the Bible orally in an adapted Yiddish version. The group officially forbids the use of technology, though she found that some women use devices without their husbands' knowledge.<ref name="Ynet2025" />

In 2025 Dovid Kohn, who is himself a ''kohen'', set up a ''[[kollel]]'' for ''kohanim'' to study the laws of Temple service in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Participants study from 4:40 to 7:00 a.m. and receive a stipend of $500 a month.<ref name="YWN2025Kohanim" />

== Communities ==
* '''Jerusalem''': the group's centre is in [[Mea Shearim]].<ref name="YIVORoth" /><ref name="Ynet2025" />
* '''[[Beit Shemesh]]''': in February 2025 thousands attended the wedding of the rebbe's granddaughter to a grandson of the [[Kretchnif (Hasidic dynasty)|Kretchnif]] rebbe at the Heichal HaSimcha hall in the Har Tov industrial zone of Beit Shemesh.<ref name="YWN2025Wedding" />
* '''London''': see [[#UK charities|UK charities]] below.

== UK charities ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ [[Toldos Aharon Trust Limited]] (charity 1162774; company 09496295)
! Item !! Detail
|-
| Registered || 22 July 2015<ref name="CCTA" />
|-
| Address || First Floor, 94 Stamford Hill, London N16 6XS<ref name="CCTA" />
|-
| Areas of operation || Hackney; Israel<ref name="CCTA" />
|-
| Trustees || [[Joseph Alexander Goldstein]] (chair), [[Abraham Just]], [[Leah Reiner]]<ref name="CCTAtr" />
|-
| Income, year to 31 March 2025 || £931,233 (donations £889,669)<ref name="CCTA" /><ref name="TAacc" />
|-
| Expenditure, year to 31 March 2025 || £813,501, of which grants £795,915<ref name="CCTA" /><ref name="TAacc" />
|}
The trust's 2025 accounts say that its synagogue "continues to be used daily for prayer and for study", and that it "also raises money for the Grand Rabbi of Toldos Aharon's network of schools and talmudical colleges" (PDF p. 4).<ref name="TAacc" /> Abraham Just is also a trustee of [[Mosdos Toldos Aron Limited]] (charity 1203714), registered on 23 June 2023, at 59 Darenth Road, London N16 6ES. It had an income of £1,858,110 in the year to 31 March 2026 and operates throughout England and in Israel.<ref name="CCTAtr" /><ref name="CCMTA" />

== See also ==
* [[Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok]]
* [[Shomer Emunim (Hasidic dynasty)]]
* [[Neturei Karta]]
* [[Edah HaChareidis]]
* [[Toldos Aharon Trust Limited]]

== Notes ==
<references>
<ref name="YIVORoth">Adam S. Ferziger, [https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Roth_Aharon Roth, Aharon] ''YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
<ref name="Ynet2025">Eliezer Hayun, [https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/rj5lywwske 'More strict than the rest': A rare look at Israel's most insular Hasidic sect] ''Ynetnews'', 9 March 2025, accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
<ref name="YWN2025Kohanim">The Yeshiva World, [https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2418701/footsteps-of-moshiach-toldos-aharon-rebbe-is-training-kohanim-for-avodas-beis-hamikdash.html Footsteps of Moshiach: Toldos Aharon Rebbe Is Training Kohanim For Avodas Beis HaMikdash] ''The Yeshiva World'', 26 June 2025, accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
<ref name="YWN2025Wedding">The Yeshiva World, [https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2363814/thousands-attend-chasuanh-of-grandchildren-of-toldos-aharon-and-kretchnif-rebbes-video-photos.html Thousands Attend Chasuanh Of Grandchildren of Toldos Aharon And Kretchnif Rebbes] ''The Yeshiva World'', 12 February 2025, accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
<ref name="CCTA">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5064502/full-print Toldos Aharon Trust Limited, charity 1162774: full print] ''register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
<ref name="CCTAtr">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5064502/trustees Toldos Aharon Trust Limited, charity 1162774: trustees] ''register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
<ref name="TAacc">Toldos Aharon Trust Limited, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5064502/accounts-and-annual-returns Report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025] ''register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
<ref name="CCMTA">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5212190/full-print Mosdos Toldos Aron Limited, charity 1203714: full print] ''register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Hasidic dynasties]]
[[Category:Hasidism]]
[[Category:Theological anti-Zionists]]
[[Category:Hasidic Judaism in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Jewish charities in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Stamford Hill]]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 === The split and succession ===
 Roth died in 1947. His group then split into two rival bodies: a smaller one, which kept the name Shomre Emunim, followed his son, while the larger one, Toldos Aharon, was led by his son-in-law.<ref name="YIVORoth" /> The son-in-law, [[Avrohom Yitzchok Kohn]], was succeeded in 1996 by [[Dovid Kohn]], who was 78 at the time of the Ynet report in 2025.<ref name="Ynet2025" />
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 37: / Line 39: @@
 | [[Avrohom Yitzchok Kohn]] || Roth's son-in-law; first Rebbe of Toldos Aharon || 1947–1996<ref name="YIVORoth" /><ref name="Ynet2025" />
 |-
-| [[Dovid Kohn]] || Rebbe || 1996–present<ref name="Ynet2025" />
+| [[Dovid Kohn]] || Second son of Avrohom Yitzchok Kohn; Rebbe || 1996–present<ref name="Ynet2025" /><ref name="Bhol2013TAY" />
 |}
@@ Line 50: / Line 52: @@
 * '''Jerusalem''': the group's centre is in [[Mea Shearim]].<ref name="YIVORoth" /><ref name="Ynet2025" />
 * '''[[Beit Shemesh]]''': in February 2025 thousands attended the wedding of the rebbe's granddaughter to a grandson of the [[Kretchnif (Hasidic dynasty)|Kretchnif]] rebbe at the Heichal HaSimcha hall in the Har Tov industrial zone of Beit Shemesh.<ref name="YWN2025Wedding" />
 * '''London''': see [[#UK charities|UK charities]] below.
 == UK charities ==
@@ Line 64: / Line 101: @@
 |-
 | Trustees || [[Joseph Alexander Goldstein]] (chair), [[Abraham Just]], [[Leah Reiner]]<ref name="CCTAtr" />
 |-
 | Income, year to 31 March 2025 || £931,233 (donations £889,669)<ref name="CCTA" /><ref name="TAacc" />
@@ Line 73: / Line 116: @@
 == See also ==
 * [[Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok]]
 * [[Shomer Emunim (Hasidic dynasty)]]
 * [[Neturei Karta]]
@@ Line 88: / Line 132: @@
 <ref name="TAacc">Toldos Aharon Trust Limited, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5064502/accounts-and-annual-returns Report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025] ''register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 <ref name="CCMTA">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5212190/full-print Mosdos Toldos Aron Limited, charity 1203714: full print] ''register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 </references>