Biala (Hasidic dynasty)

Biala is a Hasidic dynasty originating from the city of Biała Rawska, where it was founded by R. Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowicz (II) (1847 - 1905). Biala is a branch of Peshischa Hasidism, as R. Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowicz (II) was the great-grandson of R. Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowicz ("the Yid HaKadosh") (1766 - 1813), the first Peshischa Rebbe. The dynasty was originally spread throughout many towns in Poland, often taking the names of said towns. However, after the Holocaust, the name "Biala" become synonymous with the entire dynasty. Today the dynasty is mostly concentrated in Israel (Bnei Brak), America (headquartered in Brooklyn) and Switzerland and there is some representation in the UK.

In occupied Palestine

Bnei Brak's Bialae Rebbe, or Grand Rabbi, has instructed his followers seeking to purchase a private home to move to a small Judean town south of Jerusalem as a way to afford a house in the face of rising housing costs, the haredi website Behadrei Haredim reported. In a letter to his followers, Bialae Admor Rabbi Avraham Yerachmiel Rabinowicz urged his followers to purchase homes in the Maale Amos community in southeastern Gush Etzion. "I came here with a worthwhile proposal to purchase apartments in Maale Amos, near Jerusalem," read the letter. "I have personally visited the site and checked the location and the conditions offered there, and without a doubt, the place will grow and become a community." "According to the current situation of the housing market in Israel and the current economic situation, at this time there is no other place better to purchase apartments than Maale Amos," continued Rabinowicz. The Rebbe also recommended that investors purchase in Maale Amos, writing that "it is clear that the investors there will earn a lot and it is a good idea to purchase there from a financial point of view". Residents of Maale Amos welcomed the potential influx of Biale hassidim. "We are pleased and we welcome this important community," Deputy Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yoel Silver told Behadrei Haredim. "We see this as another big step for Maale Amos in becoming a big city and a home to the haredi community.

The haredi community has been growing at a rapid pace in Judea and Samaria and now makes up a third of all residents. The main haredi cities in Judea and Samaria are Beitar Illit and Modiin Illit, along with Tel Tzion, Emmanuel, and Givat Zeev Hahadasha. Recognizing the growing trend, Behadrei Haredim ran a series this past summer titled 'Haredi Settlers' examining the growing haredi population in Judea and Samaria.

See also

Friends Of Biala Limited (charity no. 271377), London | American Friends Of Biala Yeshiva Inc, Lakewoood New Jersey | Biala Yeshiva Or Kedoshim, Brooklyn | Biala Yeshiva, Jerusalem | Biala Institutions, Bnei Brak | Biala Synagogue Trust, London (Charity number 1071797) | Biala Synagogue, Beitar Illit