Sadigura (Hasidic dynasty)
Branch of the Ruzhin Hasidic dynasty named after Sadagora in Bukovina, now based in Bnei Brak, with the title disputed among three brothers since 2020
| Sadigura | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1842 (settlement in Sadagora) Sadagora, Bukovina |
| Founder | Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhin (1796–1850) |
| Leader | Rebbe Yitzchak Yehoshua Heshel Friedman (Bnei Brak, since 2020) |
| Headquarters | Bnei Brak |
| Type | Hasidic dynasty |
| Notes | |
Sadigura, also spelt Sadagora, is a Hasidic dynasty of the Friedman family, descended from Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhin. It takes its name from Sadagora in Austrian Bukovina, where Yisrael settled after fleeing Russia in 1842 and where his descendants kept a court. The YIVO Encyclopedia names Sadagora in Bnei Brak and Boyan-Ruzhin in Jerusalem as the only active branches of the Ruzhin dynasty today.[1]
The family moved to the Land of Israel in 1939. Rebbe Avraham Yaakov Friedman led the group from 1979 to 2013 and sat on the presidium of the Agudat Yisrael Council of Torah Sages.[3][4] When his son Yisroel Moshe Friedman died in 2020, his will named his youngest son, Yitzchak Yehoshua Heshel Friedman, as successor, but two elder sons also took the title of rebbe. In 2022 a rabbinical court in Bnei Brak issued a temporary injunction allowing only the youngest son and his community to use the Sadigura name or raise funds under it.[5][6][2]
History
Yisrael of Ruzhin and the Sadagora court
YIVO describes the Ruzhin dynasty as founded by the Friedman family, with several dozen rebbes. Yisrael Friedman (1796–1850), a great-grandson of Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezeritch, led his court in Ruzhin in Kiev province in a "regal way". He fled Russia in 1842 and settled in Sadagora. His ten children married into other Hasidic dynasties and into banking families of Berdyczów.[1]
His son Shalom Yosef (1813–1851) led the court in Sadagora for less than a year. Another son, Avraham Yaakov (1819–1883), then led it. In 1856 he was imprisoned in Czernowitz on suspicion of sheltering a forgery operation, and was released after 15 months and the payment of large bribes. He helped found the Orthodox body Machzikei Hadas, had contact with Moses Montefiore and Laurence Oliphant, headed the Volhynia kolel and raised funds for the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue in Jerusalem, named after his father. His elder son Yitzchak (1849–1917) set up a court at Boyan in 1886, and his younger son Yisrael (1852–1906) succeeded him in Sadagora.[1]
Dov Ber and the Sanz dispute
YIVO says that another son of Yisrael, Dov Ber (1821?–1876), went through a crisis in 1868. He was brought by force to Sadagora in 1869, freed by maskilim with police help, and stayed with the lawyer Yehudah Leib Reitman. He published a declaration rejecting Hasidism, but recanted after a month and a half. The affair led Ḥayim Halberstam of Sanz to issue a ban against the Sadagora court in 1869, and violence followed. Sadagora Hasidim in the Land of Israel in turn excommunicated Halberstam at the Western Wall. The dispute died down after both men died in 1876.[1]
From Europe to the Land of Israel
YIVO says that during the First World War many of the dynasty's leaders moved to Vienna.[1] Dei'ah veDibur says Rebbe Mordechai Shalom Yosef Friedman, author of Knesses Mordechai, moved to Przemyśl in 5694 (1934) and founded the yeshiva Meshivas Nefesh there. In 5697 (1937) he attended the Knessia Gedola of Agudas Yisroel in Marienbad. In Sivan 5699 (1939), less than three months before the Second World War, the family moved to the Land of Israel.[3]
After the war Mordechai Shalom Yosef opened a beis medrash in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, for Sadigura Hasidim who had arrived as refugees. Dei'ah veDibur says he divided his time between the United States and Tel Aviv, while Israel National News says the family moved to Crown Heights after the Holocaust. In 5715 (1955) he and other Ruzhin rabbis set up the Ruzhin yeshiva in Tel Aviv. He died on 29 Nisan 5739 (1979).[3][4] Matzav.com says he was 16 when he became rebbe.[5]
Avraham Yaakov Friedman
Avraham Yaakov Friedman was born in Vienna on 5 Elul 5688 (1928). In the Land of Israel he studied at the Novardok yeshiva in Tel Aviv and the Lomza yeshiva in Petah Tikva. For several years he was rabbi of the Sadigura community in the United States. Dei'ah veDibur says he was called back to Israel in 5732 (1972) and founded the Ruzhin yeshiva in Bnei Brak, with a senior and a junior yeshiva and a talmud torah; Israel National News places it on Ezra Street.[3][4]
He succeeded his father in 1979. Under his leadership Sadigura opened houses of study in Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Modi'in Illit, Beitar Illit, Ashdod and Elad, and in London, Antwerp and New York. His court was on Pinkas Street in Tel Aviv before moving to Gutmacher Street in Bnei Brak, and his teachings were published as Ikvei Abirim.[3] Israel National News says he was chosen for the presidium of Agudat Yisrael's Council of Torah Sages in 1989. It describes him as a supporter of the Jewish settlements in Gush Katif who strongly opposed giving up any part of the Land of Israel to the Arabs, and as the most nationalist member of the presidium.[4]
Haaretz says he moved the court from north Tel Aviv to Bnei Brak, while the Tel Aviv beit midrash remained active, and lists Sadigura communities in Jerusalem, Modi'in Illit, Ashdod, Beitar Illit, Elad, London and Antwerp. It describes Sadigura as a small but influential court with several hundred members in Israel and Europe. None of the other sources cited here gives a membership figure. According to Haaretz, he was close to right-wing circles, visited settlements, and opposed the Oslo Accords and the Gaza disengagement; the group SOS-Israel mourned him as a leading fighter for the Land of Israel.[7]
He died aged 84 on 1 January 2013 (19 Tevet 5773) at the Ma'ayanei HaYeshua hospital in Bnei Brak, after several days of pneumonia. At the funeral his will was read, asking that his only son succeed him.[3][4] Haaretz says he collapsed at home after a long illness and was pronounced dead at the hospital after attempts to resuscitate him. He was buried the same day in the Nahalat Yitzhak cemetery in Givatayim, next to his father.[3][4][7][8]
Like his father, he was a member of the Council of Torah Sages. Haaretz wrote that his death left the council with very few members: the seats of the Vizhnitz and Boston rebbes had not been filled, and the rebbe of Arloi was the only other living official member, and was in poor health.[7] The Hebrew edition ran its report under the headline "עדר בלי רועה" (A flock without a shepherd) and said his death heralded the end of the council.[8]
Yisroel Moshe Friedman
His son Yisroel Moshe Friedman grew up in Tel Aviv and studied at the Kaminetz yeshiva in Jerusalem and the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak. After his marriage he moved to London, where he built the Sadigura beis medrash in Golders Green and headed both the congregation and its rabbinical court. He moved to Bnei Brak after his father's death in 2013. He was a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. He died in August 2020 at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, aged 65. VINnews called him the sixth rebbe of Sadigura. He was buried in the Nachalat Yitzchak cemetery in Givatayim, near his father and grandfather.[9]
Succession dispute
Matzav.com reported that at the end of the week of mourning in August 2020 the family visited Yisroel Moshe's grave in Givatayim. His will was then read, naming his fifth son, Yitzchak Yehoshua Heshel ("Shea'le"), aged 24, as the seventh Sadigura rebbe of the Ruzhin dynasty. The will had been held by Rabbi Yisroel Berger, rabbi of the Ganei Geulah neighbourhood. Yitzchak Yehoshua Heshel was living in Antwerp and was to move to Bnei Brak. Matzav.com also said the eldest son, Mordechai Shalom Yosef, would be rabbi of the Sadigura community in Jerusalem, and the third son, Aharon Dov Ber, rabbi of the community in London.[5]
Charedim10 reported on 19 August 2020 that the will had not been read at the funeral or at the gathering at the end of the mourning week. It said the will was signed on 17 Tevet 5770 (January 2010) and drawn up by Rabbi Israel Berger and Rabbi Moshe Weingarten. It named the youngest son as head of all institutions bearing the Ruzhin-Sadigura name, with control of appointments. The same day, Rabbis Menachem Mendel Shafran, Naftali Nussbaum and Meir Heizler published a letter setting out a division of titles that, they said, all members of the family had agreed. Rabbi Asher Weiss endorsed the letter, and the sons and sons-in-law signed a letter saying everything since the rebbe's death had been done by mutual consent.[10] According to Arutz Sheva, the rebbe's widow, Rebbetzin Sarah Friedman, wrote that it was clear to her that her husband wanted three sons appointed: Mordechai Shalom Yosef as rebbe of Sadigura-Jerusalem, Aharon Dov Ber as rebbe of Sadigura-London and Yitzchak Yehoshua Heshel as rebbe of Sadigura-Bnei Brak.[6]
VINnews reported in July 2022 that, after months of dispute over the will, the Bnei Brak rabbinical court headed by Rabbi Sariel Rosenberg had issued a temporary injunction. The letter was also signed by Rabbis Yehuda Silman, Yaakov Farbstein, Meir Heisler and Mendel Shafran. It said the will, ratified by a rabbinical court, made Yitzchak Yehoshua Heshel heir to the Ruzhin-Sadigura group and head of all its institutions worldwide. It accused the two elder brothers of raising funds under the Sadigura and Ruzhin-Sadigura names and using the previous rebbe's symbols, leading to "deceptive transfers of funds". The injunction barred anyone other than Yitzchak Yehoshua Heshel and his community from using the names or symbols or raising funds under them, until the brothers reached an agreed decision.[2] No source read for this page reports how the dispute ended.
Selected leaders
| Leader | Dates | Base | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhin | 1796–1850 | Ruzhin, then Sadagora | Founder of the Ruzhin dynasty[1] |
| Shalom Yosef Friedman | 1813–1851 | Sadagora | Led the court for less than a year[1] |
| Avraham Yaakov Friedman | 1819–1883 | Sadagora | Imprisoned in Czernowitz, 1856–57[1] |
| Yisrael Friedman | 1852–1906 | Sadagora | Younger son of Avraham Yaakov[1] |
| Mordechai Shalom Yosef Friedman | died 1979 | Przemyśl, then Tel Aviv | Author of Knesses Mordechai[3] |
| Avraham Yaakov Friedman | 1928–2013 | Tel Aviv, then Bnei Brak | Rebbe from 1979[3] |
| Yisroel Moshe Friedman | died 2020 | London, then Bnei Brak | Rebbe from 2013[9] |
| Yitzchak Yehoshua Heshel Friedman | rebbe from 2020 | Bnei Brak | Named in his father's will[5] |
Institutions in Israel
Israel's register of associations lists the following active associations with Sadigura in their names. Five more with Sadigura or Ruzhin in their names have been struck off and are left out, including one in Beitar Illit, as is one whose stated objects, but not name, mention Ruzhin.[11][12][13][14]
| Association | Number | Registered | Address | Income (latest report) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosdot Chasidei Sadigura Yerushalayim (מוסדות חסידי סדיגורה ירושלים) | 580024131 | 19 November 1982 | 79 Shmuel HaNavi Street, Jerusalem | ₪568,434 (2025) |
| Beit HaKnesset Or Yisrael Ruzhin Sadigura (בית הכנסת אור ישראל רוז'ין סדיגורה) | 580418168 | 23 August 2004 | 5 Chafetz Chaim Street, Bnei Brak | ₪175,907 |
| Amutat Or Yisrael Ruzhin Sadigura – Mosdot Torah UGemilut Chasadim (עמותת אור ישראל רוז'ין סדיגורה - מוסדות תורה וגמילות חסדים) | 580448819 | 4 August 2005 | 6 Ohalei Yosef Street, Jerusalem | ₪1,379,100 (2024) |
| Association | Number | Registered | Address | Income (latest report) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosdot Sadigura Modi'in Illit (מוסדות סאדיגורה מודיעין עילית) | 580548014 | 1 November 2011 | 24 Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi Street, Modi'in Illit | – |
| Mosdot Ruzhin Sadigura BeEretz HaKodesh (מוסדות רוז'ין סאדיגורה בארה"ק) | 580631406 | 16 August 2016 | 10 Gutmacher Street, Bnei Brak | – |
| Sadigura Sefer Torah SheAl Yedei Yeshivat Beit Yisrael (סאדיגורה ספר תורה שעל ידי ישיבת בית ישראל) | 580707719 | 1 September 2020 | 18 Ezra Street, Bnei Brak | ₪95,057 (2024) |
| Mamlechet Ruzhin Sadigura (ממלכת רוז'ין סאדיגורה) | 580721264 | 20 April 2021 | 6 Ohalei Yosef Street, Jerusalem | ₪52,906 (2023) |
| Kupat HaTzedaka "Matan BeSeter" DeKehal Chasidei Sadigura (קופת הצדקה 'מתן בסתר' דקהל חסידי סאדיגורה) | 580723310 | 9 June 2021 | 38 HaRav Meltzer Street, Bnei Brak | ₪662,845 (2024) |
| Derech HaKodesh LeVeit Ruzhin Sadigura (דרך הקודש לבית רוז'ין סאדיגורה) | 580776284 | 24 October 2023 | 10 Gutmacher Street, Bnei Brak | ₪49,888 (2024) |
| Machon Torani Knesset Mordechai Ruzhin Sadigura (מכון תורני כנסת מרדכי רוז'ין סאדיגורה) | 580781276 | 21 December 2023 | 45 Reuven Aharonovitch Street, Bnei Brak | ₪371,296 (2024) |
| Association | Number | Registered | Address | Income (latest report) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amutat Knesset Mordechai Sadigura (עמותת כנסת מרדכי סדיגורא) | 580074920 | 5 March 1985 | 41 Pinkas Street, Tel Aviv | ₪1,349,419 (2022) |
One of these associations, Mosdot Sadigura Modi'in Illit, is registered in the West Bank settlement of Modi'in Illit.[12] The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) says Modi'in Illit was established in 1990 on land from the Palestinian villages of Ni'lin, Deir Qiddis, Bil'in, Al Midya and Kharbatha al-Misbah, 5,656 dunums in all, and that Israel declared it a city in 2008.[15] 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.[16]
United States
The IRS Business Master File for New York lists two tax-exempt organisations with Sadigura in their names. Both are classed as churches.[17]
| Organisation | EIN | Address on IRS file | IRS ruling | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congregation Mosdos Sadagora | 02-0665647 | 5018 Old New Utrecht Road, Brooklyn, NY 11204 | June 2003 | Church[17] |
| Cong Ruzin Sadigura | 86-2195393 | 1231 51st Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219 | April 2025 | Church[17] |
Neither appears on the IRS list of automatic revocations of tax exemption.[18]
United Kingdom
The Ruzin Sadagora Trust (registered charity 285475, registered 12 October 1982) is based at 269 Golders Green Road, London NW11 9JJ. The register says it "funds the cost, upkeep and activities of the Ruzin Sadagora Synagogue in London" and "supports the parent and other associated and affiliated Sadagora Institutions and other religious Jewish causes and charities". Its trustees are Rabbi Aaron Friedman (chair, from 1 July 2016), Joseph Feldman and Sara Friedman. In the year to 30 June 2025 its income was £670,433 and its spending £620,922.[19]
Friends of Ruzin Sadagora (registered charity 1210868) is a charitable incorporated organisation registered on 8 November 2024, at 93A Shirehall Park, London NW4 2QU. Its objects are "to advance the Jewish religion, to advance Jewish religious education and to relieve poverty in particular among the Ruzin Sadagora community in Israel". It works in Israel, mainly by making grants to organisations. Its trustees are Israel Gruzman (chair), Aharon Tiroiz and Jose Schupper. As a new charity it had not yet filed accounts.[20]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 David Assaf, translated by David Louvish, Ruzhin Hasidic Dynasty YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Yehuda Dov, Bnei Brak Beis Din Rules: Only Younger Son Of Rebbe Can Use Name Of Sadigura VINnews, 21 July 2022, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 S. Bruchi, The Admor of Sadigur zt"l Dei'ah veDibur, January 2013, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Gil Ronen, Sadigura Rebbe Passes Away Israel National News, 1 January 2013, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Matzav.com Israel News Bureau, 24-Year-Old Son of Sadigura Rebbe Named as His Successor Matzav.com, 18 August 2020, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ben Shaul, סאגת האדמו"רות: מאחד יצא שלושה Arutz Sheva, 19 August 2020, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Yair Ettinger, Hasidic Leader Yaakov Friedman, the Admor of Sadigura, Dies at 84 Haaretz, 1 January 2013 (archived 25 March 2024), accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Yair Ettinger, עדר בלי רועה Haaretz (Hebrew), 2 January 2013 (archived 7 July 2025), accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sandy Eller, Sadigura Rebbe, Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Friedman Passes Way At 65 VINnews, 10 August 2020, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ June Green, The Rebbetzin and the Dayanim decided: Three sons will be appointed as Rebbes of Sadigura Charedim10, 19 August 2020, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "סדיגורה" data.gov.il, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "סאדיגורה" data.gov.il, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "סדיגורא" data.gov.il, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "רוזין" data.gov.il, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem, While debating about settlements; "Israel declared the settlement of Modi'in 'Illit as the third Jewish city in the occupied West Bank" POICA, 5 May 2008, 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.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 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.
- ↑ Charity Commission for England and Wales, The Ruzin Sadagora Trust (285475): full print Register of Charities, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission for England and Wales, Friends of Ruzin Sadagora (1210868): full print Register of Charities, accessed 27 October 2026.