Difference between revisions of "Bobov (Hasidic dynasty)"

From Powerbase
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Infobox: use only supported parameters, move other data to notes, correct data; add Category:Hasidic dynasties)
(v2 rewrite: YIVO/EJ history, rebbes table, 2005 succession and 2014 ruling, Israel, US and UK tables from opened sources; editorial and unsourced material removed (see log))
Line 1: Line 1:
−
{{short description|'''Galician Hasidic dynasty headquartered in Borough Park, Brooklyn, with courts in Israel including the West Bank settlement of Beitar Illit'''}}
+
{{short description|'''Galician Hasidic dynasty of the Halberstam family, headquartered in Borough Park, Brooklyn; divided since 2005 into Bobov and Bobov-45'''}}
 +
{{Hasidic sidebar}}
 
{{Infobox religious group
 
{{Infobox religious group
−
| name = Bobov (חסידות באבוב)
+
| name         = Bobov
−
| type = [[Hasidic dynasties|Hasidic dynasty]] ([[Haredi Judaism]]; Sanz line)
+
| type         = [[Hasidic dynasties|Hasidic dynasty]] (Sanz line)
−
| founder = [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]]
+
| founder       = [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] (1847–1905)
−
| founded_date = late 19th century
+
| founded_date = {{Start date|1892}}
−
| founded_place = Bobowa, Galicia
+
| founded_place = Bobowa (Bobov), Galicia (now Poland)
−
| leader_title = Bobover Rebbe<br />Bobov-45 Rebbe
+
| headquarters  = 48th Street, [[Borough Park, Brooklyn]], New York
−
| leader_name = [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]]<br />[[Mordechai Dovid Unger]]
+
| leader_title = Rebbe
−
| headquarters = 48th Street, [[Borough Park, Brooklyn]] (main court)
+
| leader_name   = [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]] (Bobov); [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]] (Bobov-45)
−
| languages = Yiddish, Hebrew, English
+
| notes         = [[Marcin Wodziński]] counted about 3,000 households in Bobov and a further 1,500 in Bobov-45 from Hasidic telephone directories.<ref name="Seforim2018" />
−
| notes = Hereditary rebbe; split into two courts since 2005. About 4,500 households combined (c. 2016). Present in the [[United States]], [[Israel]] and the occupied Palestinian territory, the [[United Kingdom]], [[Canada]] and [[Belgium]].
 
 
}}
 
}}
−
 
+
'''Bobov''' (or '''Bobover Hasidism'''; Yiddish: באָבאָוו) is a [[Hasidic dynasties|Hasidic dynasty]] of the Halberstam family, a branch of the [[Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)|Sanz]] dynasty. It takes its name from the town of [[Bobowa]] in western Galicia, now in Poland.<ref name="YIVOSandz" /> After the Holocaust it was rebuilt in [[Borough Park, Brooklyn]], by [[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] (1907–2000), and the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' counts it as one of the three largest Hasidic groups at the time of his death.<ref name="YIVOSandz" /><ref name="EJBobov" /> Since a succession dispute in 2005 there have been two courts: Bobov, led by [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]], and [[Bobov-45]], led by [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]].<ref name="JCRUK" />
−
'''[[Bobov]]''' (or '''Bobover Hasidism'''; Yiddish: בּאָבּאָװ) is a [[Hasidic dynasties|Hasidic]] community within [[Haredi Judaism]], originating in [[Bobowa]], Galicia, in southern Poland, and now headquartered in [[Borough Park, Brooklyn]].<ref name="NYTObit">Andy Newman, [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/obituaries/naftali-halberstam-dies-at-74-bobov-hasidims-grand-rabbi.html Naftali Halberstam Dies at 74; Bobov Hasidim's Grand Rabbi] ''The New York Times'', 25 March 2005.</ref><ref name="Mintz">Jerome R. Mintz, ''Hasidic People: A Place in the New World'', Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1998, p. 120.</ref> The court grew into one of the larger Hasidic dynasties under [[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] (1907–2000), a Holocaust survivor who rebuilt the community in New York after 1945.<ref name="EncycBobov">''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' via Encyclopedia.com, [https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bobov Bobov] ''Encyclopedia.com'', accessed September 2026.</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
There are two independent Bobov communities, each with its own rebbe and institutions. The court that retained the unadorned name [[Bobov]] and the pre-2005 assets is led by [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]]. The breakaway court [[Bobov-45]], formed after the death of [[Naftali Tzvi Halberstam]] in 2005, is led by [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]].<ref name="NYT2005">Andy Newman, [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/26/nyregion/a-battle-for-succession-takes-no-holiday.html A Battle for Succession Takes No Holiday] ''The New York Times'', 26 March 2005.</ref><ref name="Heilman2017">Samuel C. Heilman, [https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780520966482-006/html Bobov: A Clash of Families] in ''Who Will Lead Us? The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in America'', Oakland: University of California Press, 2017.</ref> [[Marcin Wodziński]] counted about 3,000 households with mainline Bobov and about 1,500 with Bobov-45 from internal telephone directories around 2016.<ref name="Seforim2018">Seforim Blog, [https://seforimblog.com/2018/09/a-conversation-with-professor-marcin/ A Conversation With Professor Marcin Wodziński on Hasidism] ''The Seforim Blog'', 2 September 2018.</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
Communities exist in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; [[Monsey, New York]]; Los Angeles; [[Lakewood, New Jersey]]; Linden, New Jersey; Montreal; Toronto; Antwerp; and London.<ref name="NYTObit" /> In Israel the court has branches in [[Jerusalem]], [[Bnei Brak]], [[Ashdod]], [[Elad]], the enclave Kiryas Bobov in [[Bat Yam]], and the West Bank settlement of [[Beitar Illit]].<ref name="Rabinowicz">Tzvi Rabinowicz, [https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0765760681 Hasidism in Israel: A History of the Hasidic Movement], Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson, 2000.</ref><ref name="EncycBobov" />
 
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 +
=== Galicia ===
 +
The founder, [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] (1847–1905), was a grandson of [[Chaim Halberstam]] of Sanz. Born in Tarnobrzeg-Dzików and orphaned at eight, he grew up at his grandfather's court and served as rabbi in several Galician towns, including Bukowsko and Oświęcim. In 1880 he moved to Wiśnicz Nowy, where he took on the life of a Hasidic rebbe, and in 1888 he founded what YIVO calls the first Hasidic yeshiva, against Sanz tradition. He was active in the [[Machzikei HaDas]] organisation and in the struggle against modernism and Zionism. In 1892 he settled in Bobowa, which gave the dynasty its name.<ref name="YIVOSandz" />
  
−
[[Shlomo Halberstam]] (1847–1905), grandson of [[Chaim Halberstam]] of [[Sanz]], established the court in [[Bobowa]]. His son [[Ben Zion Halberstam]] (1874–1941), author of ''Kedushas Tzion'', built a network of yeshivas across Galicia before he and much of his family were murdered in the Holocaust.<ref name="EncycBobov" /> His son [[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] escaped via Italy, reached New York in 1946, and reconstituted the court first on Manhattan’s West Side, then Crown Heights, then Borough Park. Encyclopedia.com records that only a few hundred Bobover Hasidim survived the war and that the rebuilt American school system later enrolled about 7,000 pupils.<ref name="EncycBobov" />
+
His only son, [[Ben Zion Halberstam]] (1874–1941), succeeded him as rebbe and head of the yeshiva. Between the world wars he founded a network of yeshivas in Poland known as Etz Chaim: about 50 according to YIVO, and 60 according to the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica''.<ref name="YIVOSandz" /><ref name="EJBobov" /> From 1932 he lived in [[Trzebinia]]. When the war broke out he fled to Lwów, where he was killed in July 1941.<ref name="YIVOSandz" /> The ''Five Towns Jewish Times'' reports that he was taken by Ukrainian collaborators on 25 July 1941 and shot with about 4,000 other Jews in the Janów forest on 28 July 1941.<ref name="5TJT" /> Two of his sons, two sons-in-law and his daughters were also killed in the Holocaust.<ref name="EJBobov" />
  
−
[[Shlomo Halberstam]] died in 2000 and was succeeded by his son [[Naftali Tzvi Halberstam]] (1931–2005). [[Naftali]] left no sons. On 23 March 2005 a succession fight opened between his half-brother [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]] and his younger son-in-law [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]]. ''The New York Times'' reported punches in the main synagogue on 15th Avenue the morning after the funeral.<ref name="NYT2005" /> A Brooklyn civil case was sent to rabbinic arbitration. On 21 August 2014 a ''beth din'' awarded the name “Bobov”, the historic buildings and almost all assets to [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]], allowed [[Unger]] only a qualified name such as Bobov-45, and ordered a $6.2 million cash allotment to the breakaway side after reported arbitration costs of about $8 million.<ref name="Heilman2017" /><ref name="Bhol2014">Behadrei Haredim, [https://www.bhol.co.il/news/150884 Unequivocal verdict: There is only one Bobov] ''Behadrei Haredim'', 25 August 2014.</ref>
+
=== Rebuilding in New York ===
 +
[[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] escaped through Italy and reached the United States in 1946.<ref name="YIVOSandz" /><ref name="EJBobov" /> He settled first in Manhattan, then in [[Crown Heights]] and from 1967 in [[Borough Park, Brooklyn|Borough Park]].<ref name="YIVOSandz" /><ref name="EJBobov" /> According to the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'', only 300 Bobover Hasidim were left at the end of the war. He obtained visas for them and for hundreds of orphans from Italian transit camps, opened a trade school in Manhattan, and built a school network reaching Toronto, London, Antwerp and Israel, with about 7,000 pupils in America. The community grew to well over 20,000 Hasidim.<ref name="EJBobov" />
  
−
== Leadership ==
+
His son [[Naftali Tzvi Halberstam]] (1931–2005) became rebbe in 2000. The ''New York Times'' described Bobov at his death as one of Brooklyn's largest Hasidic groups, with 1,800 to 2,000 families, and with communities in Canada, England and Israel.<ref name="NYTObit" />
  
−
* First Rebbe: [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] (1847–1905)
+
{| class="wikitable"
−
* Second: [[Ben Zion Halberstam]] (1874–1941)
+
! Rebbe !! Lifespan !! Led !! Notes
−
* Third: [[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] (1907–2000)
+
|-
−
* Fourth: [[Naftali Tzvi Halberstam]] (1931–2005)
+
| [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] || 1847–1905 || 1880–1905 || Founder; took on the life of a rebbe in 1880 and settled in Bobowa in 1892
−
* Fifth (main court): [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]] (born 1955)
+
|-
−
* Bobov-45: [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]] (born 1954); dayan [[Yehoshua Rubin]]
+
| [[Ben Zion Halberstam]] || 1874–1941 || 1905–1941 || Killed in Lwów, July 1941
−
 
+
|-
−
[[Yaakov Yisroel Meisels]] has been named as Bobover rav of Kiryat Bobov in [[Bat Yam]]. [[Ben Zion Blum]] has been named Bobover dayan in London.<ref name="EncycBobov" />
+
| [[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] || 1907–2000 || 1941–2000 || Rebuilt the dynasty in New York
−
 
+
|-
−
== Politics and Zionism ==
+
| [[Naftali Tzvi Halberstam]] || 1931–2005 || 2000–2005 || Died 23 March 2005
−
 
+
|-
−
Encyclopedia.com states: “The Israeli branch pursues a non-confrontational but non-Zionist stance vis-à-vis the Israeli government. Their sons do not serve in the [[IDF]].”<ref name="EncycBobov" /> That formula is the usual description of both successor courts. Non-Zionist theology has not prevented settlement in [[Beitar Illit]] or receipt of Israeli municipal and educational infrastructure in Haredi towns inside the Green Line and beyond it.<ref name="Rabinowicz" />
+
| [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]] || || 2005– || Bobov (48th Street)
−
 
+
|-
−
== Locations ==
+
| [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]] || || 2005– || [[Bobov-45]]
−
 
+
|}
−
=== United States ===
+
Sources for the table: YIVO;<ref name="YIVOSandz" /> ''Five Towns Jewish Times'';<ref name="5TJT" /> ''New York Times'';<ref name="NYTObit" /><ref name="NYT2005" /> JCR-UK.<ref name="JCRUK" />
−
 
 
−
The world centre is Borough Park. Main-court institutions cluster on 48th Street and 15th Avenue ([[Kehal Shaarei Zion]] / Bobover Yeshiva Bnei Zion campus). Bobov-45 gathered first on 45th Street and later at 1362 49th Street.<ref name="Heilman2017" /> Other US points include Williamsburg; Monsey and Rockland County; Lakewood and Linden / Union, New Jersey; Los Angeles; and Staten Island congregations registered under Bobov titles.
 
−
 
 
−
=== United Kingdom ===
 
−
 
 
−
London Bobov is centred in Stamford Hill. [[Kahal Chassidim Bobov]] (charity 278823) has its office at 87 Egerton Road, London N16, and states that it advances “the world-wide organisation of Chassidim of the Grand Rabbi Bobov” in the United Kingdom “or elsewhere.”<ref name="GiGKahal">Giving is Great, [https://givingisgreat.org/database/charity-factsheet/?regNo=278823 Kahal Chassidim Bobov] ''Giving is Great'', accessed September 2026.</ref> [[Mosdos Bobov]] (1151332) is at 253 Kyverdale Road, London N16.<ref name="CCMosdos">Charity Commission, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5033365/full-print MOSDOS BOBOV – 1151332] ''Charity Commission for England and Wales'', accessed September 2026.</ref> JCR-UK records a separate [[Bobov-45]] Beth Hamedrash on Clapton Common from 2006, affiliated to the [[Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations]], distinct from Kehal Chasidei Bobov of Egerton Road.<ref name="JCRUK">JCR-UK, [https://jewishgen.org/JCR-UK/London/stamford_shteibls/bobov-45.htm Bobov-45 Beth Hamedrash, Clapton Common, London E5] ''JewishGen / JCR-UK'', accessed September 2026.</ref> Manchester / Salford is listed among areas of operation of the [[ABC Trust]].<ref name="CCABC">Charity Commission, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4020028/full-print THE ABC TRUST – 1126661] ''Charity Commission for England and Wales'', accessed September 2026.</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
=== Canada and Belgium ===
 
−
 
 
−
Toronto and Montreal have Bobov kehillos; Friends of Bobov Toronto is a US 501(c)(3) that states its purpose as support for Bobov educational and religious institutions in Toronto.<ref name="CauseToronto">Cause IQ, [https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/friends-of-bobov-toronto,463308535/ Friends of Bobov Toronto] ''Cause IQ'', accessed September 2026.</ref> Antwerp is a long-standing European branch.<ref name="EncycBobov" /> UK Bobov charities list Belgium as an area of operation.<ref name="GiGKahal" /><ref name="CCMosdos" />
 
−
 
 
−
=== Israel inside the Green Line ===
 
−
 
 
−
Encyclopedia.com records a Bobov community just outside [[Bat Yam]] and large yeshivas in [[Jerusalem]] and [[Bnei Brak]].<ref name="EncycBobov" /> Kiryat Bobov / Kedushat Tzion–Bobov is listed at 12 Kiryat Bobov Street, Bat Yam, under [[Yaakov Yisrael Yashrun Meiselish]], Israeli company number 580045771, covering yeshiva, Talmud Torah, kollel and girls’ schools.<ref name="TorahIndex">Torah Index, [http://www.torahindex.com/EN/Inst/institutionsDetail.aspx?index=1&instID=3853 Kedushat Tzion – Bobov] ''Olam HaTorah / Torah Index'', accessed September 2026.</ref> Further communities are reported in [[Ashdod]], [[Elad]] and Beit Shemesh.<ref name="Rabinowicz" />
 
−
 
 
−
=== Occupied Palestinian territory ===
 
−
 
 
−
[[Beitar Illit]] (Betar Illit), established from 1985–1990 on land taken from the Palestinian villages of Husan and Nahalin in the Gush Etzion bloc south-west of Jerusalem, is treated as an illegal settlement under international law. Bobov families were among the Haredi groups that populated the town as it grew into a large ultra-Orthodox city.<ref name="Rabinowicz" /> Both main Bobov and [[Bobov-45]] maintain a presence there. Haredi settlement in [[Beitar Illit]] and [[Modi'in Illit]] has been driven largely by housing costs rather than Religious-Zionist ideology, but it still expands Israeli civilian control over occupied land.<ref name="EncycBobov" /> Published charity filings for UK and US Bobov vehicles name “Israel” as a field of operation and do not publish a line-by-line split between activity inside the 1949 Armistice lines and activity in [[Beitar Illit]] or other occupied territory.
 
−
 
 
−
== Institutions (main court) ==
 
  
−
Samuel Heilman’s account of the 2014 award lists the principal pre-split assets that stayed with [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]]: New and Old Beis Medrash; yeshiva buildings on 48th and 42nd Streets; mesivta buildings; Bnos Zion buildings; Kerem Shlomo; mesivta camp in the Poconos; Camps Shalva, Kerem Shlomo and Gila; and the corporate names Kehal Shaarei Zion, Yeshivah Bnei Zion, Bnos Zion, Mesivta Eitz Chaim, Kollel Zichron Chaim and Ameidei Zion.<ref name="Heilman2017" />
+
== Succession dispute ==
 +
[[Naftali Tzvi Halberstam]] died on Wednesday 23 March 2005, the day before Purim, leaving no sons. His younger half-brother [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]] and his son-in-law [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]] each claimed to be his successor. The ''New York Times'' reported that on the morning after the funeral punches were thrown between the two camps in the main Bobover synagogue on 15th Avenue in Borough Park, which it called the headquarters of the world's 20,000 or so Bobover Hasidim.<ref name="NYTObit" /><ref name="NYT2005" />
  
−
[[Rabbinical College Bobover Yeshiva Bnei Zion]] (EIN 11-2202774) is the accredited higher yeshiva on the Borough Park 48th Street campus, also housing the kehillah’s main synagogue and library.<ref name="EncycBobov" /> Related US corporations include Bobover Yeshivah Bnei Zion (11-1753991), Bnos Zion of Bobov Inc. (11-2288765), Amidei Zion of Bobov Inc. (11-2575751), Mesivtah Eitz Chaim of Bobov (11-2428571), Talmudical Seminary of Bobov (38-3726543) and United Bobov International Inc. (11-2589111).<ref name="CauseShaarei">Cause IQ, [https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/congregation-khal-shaarei-zion-bobov,854005332/ Congregation Khal Shaarei Zion Bobov] ''Cause IQ'', accessed September 2026.</ref> Bobov In Israel Inc. (13-1912599) and Bobov Foundation Inc. (35-2317929) appear on IRS auto-revocation lists.
+
The dispute went to a rabbinical court in New York. Its ruling, published in August 2014, gave Ben Zion Halberstam the sole right to the name Bobov; Unger's side had 90 days to adopt a name with an added identifier. The buildings and community assets stayed with Halberstam's side, which was to pay Unger's side $6.2 million in quarterly instalments of $310,000. Rights to the published teachings were divided: Halberstam's side received those of Shlomo Halberstam and Unger's side those of Naftali Tzvi Halberstam.<ref name="Kikar2014" /> In November 2014, at a gathering in a Marriott hotel in New York, Unger told his followers that he accepted the ruling and that the court would be known as Bobov-45.<ref name="Ch10Nov2014" /> JCR-UK explains that the suffix refers to the group's headquarters on 45th Street in Borough Park; the main Bobov court is on 48th Street.<ref name="JCRUK" />
  
−
== Institutions (Bobov-45) ==
+
== Bobov-45 ==
 +
In June 2024 ''Mishpacha'' reported that [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]] was overseeing building projects worth over $170 million. These included a new Talmud Torah, mesivta and mechina buildings, several buildings in Union, New Jersey, where many young families had moved, and a large synagogue in Borough Park. Nearly 4,000 pupils attended the court's institutions in Borough Park alone.<ref name="Mishpacha" />
  
−
[[Bobov-45]] built a parallel set of schools, halls and congregations after 2005. US filings include Congregation Bobov 45 (82-1954183), Yeshiva Ketana of Bobov 45 Inc. (47-5018408) and Chevra Kadisha of Bobov 45 (84-3109913). ''Mishpacha'' reported building programmes said to exceed $170 million and nearly 4,000 pupils in Borough Park ''mosdos'' alone.<ref name="Mishpacha">Mishpacha, [https://mishpacha.com/my-rebbe-my-rebbi/ My Rebbe, My Rebbi] ''Mishpacha'', accessed September 2026.</ref>
+
== Israel ==
 +
According to the ''Five Towns Jewish Times'', [[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]] first visited Israel in 1959, when he established [[Kiryat Bobov]] in [[Bat Yam]] and Yeshiva Kedushas Zion. There are further Bobover synagogues and yeshivas in [[Jerusalem]], [[Bnei Brak]] and [[Elad]]. [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]] founded Yeshiva Eitz Chaim in Bnei Brak, whose new building on Rechov Ezra was dedicated during his two-week visit to Israel in February 2015. Rabbi [[Yaakov Yisroel Meisels]], his brother-in-law, is rav of Kiryat Bobov.<ref name="5TJT" /> The Kedushat Tzion – Bobov institutions are registered at 12 Kiryat Bobov Street, Bat Yam, under Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Yeshurun Meisels, with Israeli company number 580045771. They cover yeshivas, a Talmud Torah, kollels and girls' schools.<ref name="TorahIndex" />
  
−
== UK and US money to Israel and occupied territory ==
+
The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' states: "The Israeli branch pursues a non-confrontational but non-Zionist stance vis-à-vis the Israeli government. Their sons do not serve in the IDF."<ref name="EJBobov" /> In December 2020 ''Israel Hayom'' quoted Ben Barber, a public activist and member of the Bobov community, who said that relations between Haredim and IDF soldiers deployed in Bnei Brak to enforce COVID-19 lockdowns had improved because of direct contact.<ref name="IsraelHayom2020" />
  
−
Several Britain-registered vehicles tied to Bobov list '''Israel''' (and often the United States and Belgium) among their operating countries. Commission summaries do not state whether grants stay inside the Green Line or reach [[Beitar Illit]].
+
== United States and Canada ==
−
 
+
{| class="wikitable"
−
{| class="wikitable sortable"
+
! Organisation !! EIN !! Address !! Details
−
|+ UK charities linked to Bobov that list Israel as an area of operation
 
−
! Charity !! Number !! Office !! Stated overseas areas !! Notes
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[Kahal Chassidim Bobov]] || 278823 || 87 Egerton Road, London N16 || Israel, United States, Belgium, Austria || Objects: advancement of the Bobov organisation “in the United Kingdom or elsewhere”; grant-making and voucher system; latest reported income about £2.59 million (year to March 2025).<ref name="GiGKahal" />
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Mosdos Bobov]] || 1151332 || 253 Kyverdale Road, London N16 || Israel, United States, Belgium || Grants to individuals and organisations; income £63,367 (year to 31 July 2024).<ref name="CCMosdos" />
+
| [[Congregation Khal Shaarei Zion Bobov]] || 85-4005332 || 4715 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219 || 501(c)(3), formed 2021<ref name="CauseShaarei" />
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[ABC Trust]] (working names include Association of the Bobov Community; British Friends of Tzidkas Eretz Hakodesh Israel) || 1126661 || Hackney / Haringey / Salford || Israel, United States || Objects include advancing education “in Israel and in United States of America.”<ref name="CCABC" />
+
| [[Friends of Bobov Toronto]] || 46-3308535 || Brooklyn, New York || 501(c)(3), formed 2013, to support the educational and religious institutions of the Bobov community in Toronto; revenue $146,034 and expenses $286,151 in 2024<ref name="CauseToronto" />
 
|}
 
|}
 +
For other organisations see [[Bobov non profits in the US]].
  
−
The [[Raphael Freshwater Memorial Association]] (313890), controlled by the [[Freshwater]] family of Bobov descent, has made large UK grants to Bobov-named bodies, including Bobov Cheder Trust (£1.749 million across 2020–22), Kahal Chasidim Bobov (£358,000 across 2018–22), Bobov Foundation F.O. (£162,000) and Friends of Bobov Foundation (£23,000), as well as Israeli and “Eretz Yisrael” institutions such as Chibas Yerushalayim Kollel, Brisk Yeshiva and British Friends of Kupath Ha'ir.<ref name="Thirdsector">Jenna Pudelek, [http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charity-commission-tells-jewish-charity-appoint-least-one-fully-independent-trustee/governance/article/1224872 Charity Commission tells Jewish charity to appoint at least one 'fully independent' trustee] ''Third Sector'', 16 December 2013.</ref> Those published lines name the grantee, not the street address in [[Beitar Illit]] or Bat Yam.
+
== United Kingdom ==
−
 
+
The Bobov community in London is based in [[Stamford Hill]]. JCR-UK records a [[Bobov-45]] synagogue, Chasidey Bobov-45 Beth Hamedrash, at 73 Clapton Common, Upper Clapton, London E5 9AA, from 2008, formerly the site of the Swan public house; it met at 26 Lampard Grove, London N16, from 2006 to 2008. It is affiliated to the [[Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations]] and is distinct from the Kehal Chasidei Bobov Beth Hamedrash in Egerton Road, London N16, which follows [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]].<ref name="JCRUK" />
−
In the United States, Congregation Bobov London Inc. (83-4683775) is a Brooklyn corporation; Friends of Bobov Toronto raises money in the US for Canadian Bobov schools.<ref name="CauseToronto" /> Historic “Bobov In Israel Inc.” is revoked. Public 990 extracts for living Bobov congregations typically describe synagogue and school support and do not itemise transfers to West Bank settlements.
 
−
 
 
−
== Freshwater family ==
 
−
 
 
−
[[Benzion Freshwater|Benzion Schalom Eliezer Freshwater]] and [[Solomon Freshwater]] are sons of [[Osias Freshwater]] (1897–1976) and [[Nechama Golda Stempel]] (née Halberstam), widowed daughter of the second Bobover Rebbe [[Ben Zion Halberstam]]. They are therefore descendants of the dynasty.<ref name="Thirdsector" /> The Yeshiva World reported that the brothers gave “generous backing” to a [[Bobov-45]] girls’ school renovation on 15th Avenue in Borough Park.<ref name="Mishpacha" /> Through [[Mayfair Charities]] and the [[Raphael Freshwater Memorial Association]] they are major British funders of Haredi education, including Bobov vehicles that themselves list Israel as a field of work.
 
  
−
== Selected US non-profits with “Bobov” in the title ==
+
{| class="wikitable"
−
{| class="wikitable sortable"
+
! Charity !! Number !! Address !! Income !! Where it operates !! Notes
−
|+ IRS-listed organisations (selection)
 
−
! EIN !! Name !! City !! State
 
−
|-
 
−
| 11-1753991 || [[Bobover Yeshivah Bnei Zion]] || Brooklyn || New York
 
−
|-
 
−
| 11-2202774 || [[Rabbinical College Bobover Yeshiva Bnei Zion]] || Brooklyn || New York
 
−
|-
 
−
| 11-2288765 || [[Bnos Zion of Bobov Inc.]] || Brooklyn || New York
 
−
|-
 
−
| 11-2575751 || [[Amidei Zion of Bobov Inc.]] || Brooklyn || New York
 
−
|-
 
−
| 11-2428571 || [[Mesivtah Eitz Chaim of Bobov]] || Brooklyn || New York
 
−
|-
 
−
| 11-2589111 || [[United Bobov International Inc.]] || Brooklyn || New York
 
−
|-
 
−
| 13-1912599 || [[Bobov In Israel Inc.]] (revoked) || Brooklyn || New York
 
−
|-
 
−
| 82-1954183 || [[Congregation Bobov 45]] || Brooklyn || New York
 
−
|-
 
−
| 47-5018408 || [[Yeshiva Ketana of Bobov 45 Inc.]] || Brooklyn || New York
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 84-3109913 || [[Chevra Kadisha of Bobov 45]] || Brooklyn || New York
+
| [[Kahal Chassidim Bobov]] || 278823 || 87 Egerton Road, London N16 6UE || £2,585,547 (year to 31 March 2025) || England, Austria, Belgium, Israel, United States || Registered 27 March 1980. Objects: the advancement of the Jewish religion "and the world-wide organisation of Chassidim of the Grand Rabbi Bobov in particular", in the UK or elsewhere. Runs a charity voucher system and makes grants. Received funds from the Stempel Charity (243913) on 29 August 2024.<ref name="CCKahal" />
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 83-4683775 || [[Congregation Bobov London Inc.]] || Brooklyn || New York
+
| [[Mosdos Bobov]] || 1151332 || 253 Kyverdale Road, London N16 6PQ || £84,507 (year to 31 July 2025) || Barnet, Hackney, Haringey, Belgium, Israel, United States || Registered 22 March 2013. Grants to people in need, especially at festivals, and for education and community activities.<ref name="CCMosdos" />
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 46-3308535 || [[Friends of Bobov Toronto]] || Brooklyn || New York
+
| [[ABC Trust]] (working name: Association of the Bobov Community) || 1126661 || 79 Wargrave Avenue, London N15 6TU || £3,896,978 (year to 31 December 2024) || Hackney, Haringey, Salford, Israel, United States || Registered 11 November 2008; formerly Ichud Chasidim Limited. Holds property under development as a community centre and synagogue and makes grants. Objects name Hackney, Haringey, Salford, Israel and the United States.<ref name="CCABC" />
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
−
*[[Benzion Freshwater]] <ref name="Thirdsector_2">Pudelek, Jenna, [http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charity-commission-tells-jewish-charity-appoint-least-one-fully-independent-trustee/governance/article/1224872 Charity Commission tells Jewish charity to appoint at least one 'fully independent' trustee] Thirdsector.co.uk, 16 December 2013</ref> is the son of [[Osias Freshwater]] (1897–1976), born in the village of Sassov, Galicia, Poland, who emigrated to England in 1939. His wife and three children died in the Holocaust. In 1947 he married [[Nechama Golda Stempel]] ''née'' Halberstam, widowed daughter of Rabbi [[Ben Zion Halberstam]], the second [[Bobov (Hasidic dynasty)|Bobover]] [[Rebbe]], and they had two sons, Benzion and Solomon. Shlomo and Benzion Freshwater are thus descendants of the [[Bobov (Hasidic dynasty)|Bobov dynasty]].
 
 
* [[Bobov-45]]
 
* [[Bobov-45]]
−
* [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]]
 
−
* [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]]
 
−
* [[Naftali Tzvi Halberstam]]
 
 
* [[Benzion Freshwater]]
 
* [[Benzion Freshwater]]
−
* [[Bobov non profits in the US]]
+
* [[Agudath Israel of America]]
−
* [[Beitar Illit]]
 
 
* [[Hasidic dynasties]]
 
* [[Hasidic dynasties]]
−
* [[Agudath Israel of America]]
 
−
* [[Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations]]
 
−
 
−
== External links ==
 
−
 
−
* [https://givingisgreat.org/database/charity-factsheet/?regNo=278823 Kahal Chassidim Bobov (UK charity 278823)]
 
−
* [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5033365/full-print Mosdos Bobov (UK charity 1151332)]
 
−
* [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4020028/full-print ABC Trust (UK charity 1126661)]
 
−
* [https://jewishgen.org/JCR-UK/London/stamford_shteibls/bobov-45.htm JCR-UK: Bobov-45, Stamford Hill]
 
−
* [https://www.5tjt.com/bobover-rebbes-triumphant-visit-to-israel/ Five Towns Jewish Times: Bobover Rebbe’s visit to Israel]
 
−
 
−
== Resources ==
 
−
 
−
* Shlomo Shamir, [https://archive.ph/tvmaF A Hasidic Sect Discovers Democracy] ''Haaretz'', 24 September 2007.
 
−
* [https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/12/30/coronavirus-brings-soldiers-and-haredim-closer-together/ Israel Hayom, coronavirus and Haredim], 30 December 2020.
 
  
 
== Notes ==
 
== Notes ==
 +
<references>
 +
<ref name="YIVOSandz">David Assaf, [https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Sandz_Hasidic_Dynasty Sandz Hasidic Dynasty] ''YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="EJBobov">David Derovan, [https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bobov Bobov] ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' (2nd ed.), via Encyclopedia.com, accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="Seforim2018">Yitzchok Frankfurter, [https://seforimblog.com/2018/09/a-conversation-with-professor-marcin/ A Conversation With Professor Marcin Wodziński on Hasidism] ''The Seforim Blog'', 2 September 2018 (reprinted from ''Ami Magazine'', 11 July 2018), accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="NYTObit">Margalit Fox, [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/obituaries/naftali-halberstam-dies-at-74-bobov-hasidims-grand-rabbi.html Naftali Halberstam Dies at 74; Bobov Hasidim's Grand Rabbi] ''New York Times'', 25 March 2005 (archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20250825024425/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/obituaries/naftali-halberstam-dies-at-74-bobov-hasidims-grand-rabbi.html 25 August 2025]), accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="NYT2005">Andy Newman, [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/26/nyregion/a-battle-for-succession-takes-no-holiday.html A Battle for Succession Takes No Holiday] ''New York Times'', 26 March 2005 (archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20240625094222/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/26/nyregion/a-battle-for-succession-takes-no-holiday.html 25 June 2024]), accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="Kikar2014">Kikar HaShabbat, [https://www.kikar.co.il/hasidism/150293 פסק הדין שמרעיד את חסידות באבוב] ''Kikar HaShabbat'', 22 August 2014, accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="Ch10Nov2014">Haredim10, [https://ch10.co.il/en/news/106624/ האדמו"ר הרמ"ד הכריע: מציית - מהיום החצר "באבוב 45"] ''Haredim10'', 19 November 2014, accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="JCRUK">JCR-UK, [https://jewishgen.org/JCR-UK/London/stamford_shteibls/bobov-45.htm Bobov-45 Beth Hamedrash, Clapton Common, London E5] ''JewishGen'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="Mishpacha">David Damen, [https://mishpacha.com/my-rebbe-my-rebbi/ My Rebbe, My Rebbi] ''Mishpacha'', 9 June 2024, accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="5TJT">Gershon Tannenbaum, [https://www.5tjt.com/bobover-rebbes-triumphant-visit-to-israel/ Bobover Rebbe’s Triumphant Visit To Israel] ''Five Towns Jewish Times'', 12 February 2015 (archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20241204151333/https://www.5tjt.com/bobover-rebbes-triumphant-visit-to-israel/ 4 December 2024]), accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="TorahIndex">Olam HaTorah, [http://www.torahindex.com/EN/Inst/institutionsDetail.aspx?index=1&instID=3853 Kedushat Tzion – Bobov] ''Torah Index'' (archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20250618143432/http://www.torahindex.com/EN/Inst/institutionsDetail.aspx?index=1&instID=3853 18 June 2025]), accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="IsraelHayom2020">Dan Lavie, [https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/12/30/coronavirus-brings-soldiers-and-haredim-closer-together/ Coronavirus brings soldiers and Haredim closer together] ''Israel Hayom'', 30 December 2020 (archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20260118205002/https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/12/30/coronavirus-brings-soldiers-and-haredim-closer-together/ 18 January 2026]), accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="CauseShaarei">Cause IQ, [https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/congregation-khal-shaarei-zion-bobov,854005332/ Congregation Khal Shaarei Zion Bobov] ''Cause IQ'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="CauseToronto">Cause IQ, [https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/friends-of-bobov-toronto,463308535/ Friends of Bobov Toronto] ''Cause IQ'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="CCKahal">Charity Commission, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/278823/full-print KAHAL CHASSIDIM BOBOV – 278823] ''Charity Commission for England and Wales'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="CCMosdos">Charity Commission, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5033365/full-print MOSDOS BOBOV – 1151332] ''Charity Commission for England and Wales'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
<ref name="CCABC">Charity Commission, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4020028/full-print THE ABC TRUST – 1126661] ''Charity Commission for England and Wales'', accessed 27 October 2026.</ref>
 +
</references>
  
−
<references />
+
[[Category:Hasidic dynasties]]
−
 
+
[[Category:Hasidism]]
 +
[[Category:United States]]
 
[[Category:Israel]]
 
[[Category:Israel]]
 +
[[Category:Stamford Hill]]
 +
[[Category:Hasidic Judaism in the United Kingdom]]
 +
[[Category:Jewish charities in the United Kingdom]]
 
[[Category:Zionist movement]]
 
[[Category:Zionist movement]]
−
[[Category:Yeshivas in the West Bank]]
 
 
[[Category:Zionist movement UK]]
 
[[Category:Zionist movement UK]]
−
[[Category:Hasidic dynasties]]
 

Revision as of 07:01, 27 October 2026

Galician Hasidic dynasty of the Halberstam family, headquartered in Borough Park, Brooklyn; divided since 2005 into Bobov and Bobov-45

Hasidic dynasties
Overview

Hasidic dynasties | Haredi and Hasidic groups in the US | Chabad-Lubavitch movement

Dynasties

Belz | Biala | Bobov | Boyan | Breslov | Chabad-Lubavitch | Chernobyl | Dushinsky | Ger | Karlin-Stolin | Lelov | Munkacs | Nadvorna | Pupa | Rachmastrivka | Sadigura | Sanz-Klausenburg | Sassov | Satmar | Shomer Emunim | Skulen | Skver | Slonim | Spinka | Toldos Aharon | Toldos Avraham Yitzchak | Tosh | Vizhnitz

Founders and early masters

Baal Shem Tov | Dov Ber of Mezeritch | Elimelech of Lizhensk | Shneur Zalman of Liadi | Nachman of Breslov | Moshe Leib of Sassov

Present-day rebbes

Aaron Teitelbaum | Zalman Teitelbaum | Yissachar Dov Rokeach | Yaakov Aryeh Alter | Yisroel Hager | Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam | David Twersky | Boruch Meir Yaakov Shochet

20th-century rebbes

Joel Teitelbaum | Aharon Rokeach | Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Politics and communal bodies

Agudat Yisrael | United Torah Judaism | Degel HaTorah | Edah HaChareidis | Neturei Karta | Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations

Places

Uman | Stamford Hill | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | Kiryas Joel, New York | Bnei Brak | Beitar Illit | Modi'in Illit

United Kingdom

Satmar institutions in the UK | Belz Communities | Satmar Kolel

-
Bobov
Founded 1892 Bobowa (Bobov), Galicia (now Poland)
Founder Shlomo Halberstam (1847–1905)
Leader Rebbe Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam (Bobov); Mordechai Dovid Unger (Bobov-45)
Headquarters 48th Street, Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York
Type Hasidic dynasty (Sanz line)
Notes

Bobov (or Bobover Hasidism; Yiddish: באָבאָוו) is a Hasidic dynasty of the Halberstam family, a branch of the Sanz dynasty. It takes its name from the town of Bobowa in western Galicia, now in Poland.[2] After the Holocaust it was rebuilt in Borough Park, Brooklyn, by Shlomo Halberstam (1907–2000), and the Encyclopaedia Judaica counts it as one of the three largest Hasidic groups at the time of his death.[2][3] Since a succession dispute in 2005 there have been two courts: Bobov, led by Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, and Bobov-45, led by Mordechai Dovid Unger.[4]

History

Galicia

The founder, Shlomo Halberstam (1847–1905), was a grandson of Chaim Halberstam of Sanz. Born in Tarnobrzeg-Dzików and orphaned at eight, he grew up at his grandfather's court and served as rabbi in several Galician towns, including Bukowsko and Oświęcim. In 1880 he moved to Wiśnicz Nowy, where he took on the life of a Hasidic rebbe, and in 1888 he founded what YIVO calls the first Hasidic yeshiva, against Sanz tradition. He was active in the Machzikei HaDas organisation and in the struggle against modernism and Zionism. In 1892 he settled in Bobowa, which gave the dynasty its name.[2]

His only son, Ben Zion Halberstam (1874–1941), succeeded him as rebbe and head of the yeshiva. Between the world wars he founded a network of yeshivas in Poland known as Etz Chaim: about 50 according to YIVO, and 60 according to the Encyclopaedia Judaica.[2][3] From 1932 he lived in Trzebinia. When the war broke out he fled to Lwów, where he was killed in July 1941.[2] The Five Towns Jewish Times reports that he was taken by Ukrainian collaborators on 25 July 1941 and shot with about 4,000 other Jews in the Janów forest on 28 July 1941.[5] Two of his sons, two sons-in-law and his daughters were also killed in the Holocaust.[3]

Rebuilding in New York

Shlomo Halberstam escaped through Italy and reached the United States in 1946.[2][3] He settled first in Manhattan, then in Crown Heights and from 1967 in Borough Park.[2][3] According to the Encyclopaedia Judaica, only 300 Bobover Hasidim were left at the end of the war. He obtained visas for them and for hundreds of orphans from Italian transit camps, opened a trade school in Manhattan, and built a school network reaching Toronto, London, Antwerp and Israel, with about 7,000 pupils in America. The community grew to well over 20,000 Hasidim.[3]

His son Naftali Tzvi Halberstam (1931–2005) became rebbe in 2000. The New York Times described Bobov at his death as one of Brooklyn's largest Hasidic groups, with 1,800 to 2,000 families, and with communities in Canada, England and Israel.[6]

Rebbe Lifespan Led Notes
Shlomo Halberstam 1847–1905 1880–1905 Founder; took on the life of a rebbe in 1880 and settled in Bobowa in 1892
Ben Zion Halberstam 1874–1941 1905–1941 Killed in Lwów, July 1941
Shlomo Halberstam 1907–2000 1941–2000 Rebuilt the dynasty in New York
Naftali Tzvi Halberstam 1931–2005 2000–2005 Died 23 March 2005
Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam 2005– Bobov (48th Street)
Mordechai Dovid Unger 2005– Bobov-45

Sources for the table: YIVO;[2] Five Towns Jewish Times;[5] New York Times;[6][7] JCR-UK.[4]

Succession dispute

Naftali Tzvi Halberstam died on Wednesday 23 March 2005, the day before Purim, leaving no sons. His younger half-brother Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam and his son-in-law Mordechai Dovid Unger each claimed to be his successor. The New York Times reported that on the morning after the funeral punches were thrown between the two camps in the main Bobover synagogue on 15th Avenue in Borough Park, which it called the headquarters of the world's 20,000 or so Bobover Hasidim.[6][7]

The dispute went to a rabbinical court in New York. Its ruling, published in August 2014, gave Ben Zion Halberstam the sole right to the name Bobov; Unger's side had 90 days to adopt a name with an added identifier. The buildings and community assets stayed with Halberstam's side, which was to pay Unger's side $6.2 million in quarterly instalments of $310,000. Rights to the published teachings were divided: Halberstam's side received those of Shlomo Halberstam and Unger's side those of Naftali Tzvi Halberstam.[8] In November 2014, at a gathering in a Marriott hotel in New York, Unger told his followers that he accepted the ruling and that the court would be known as Bobov-45.[9] JCR-UK explains that the suffix refers to the group's headquarters on 45th Street in Borough Park; the main Bobov court is on 48th Street.[4]

Bobov-45

In June 2024 Mishpacha reported that Mordechai Dovid Unger was overseeing building projects worth over $170 million. These included a new Talmud Torah, mesivta and mechina buildings, several buildings in Union, New Jersey, where many young families had moved, and a large synagogue in Borough Park. Nearly 4,000 pupils attended the court's institutions in Borough Park alone.[10]

Israel

According to the Five Towns Jewish Times, Shlomo Halberstam first visited Israel in 1959, when he established Kiryat Bobov in Bat Yam and Yeshiva Kedushas Zion. There are further Bobover synagogues and yeshivas in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and Elad. Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam founded Yeshiva Eitz Chaim in Bnei Brak, whose new building on Rechov Ezra was dedicated during his two-week visit to Israel in February 2015. Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Meisels, his brother-in-law, is rav of Kiryat Bobov.[5] The Kedushat Tzion – Bobov institutions are registered at 12 Kiryat Bobov Street, Bat Yam, under Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Yeshurun Meisels, with Israeli company number 580045771. They cover yeshivas, a Talmud Torah, kollels and girls' schools.[11]

The Encyclopaedia Judaica states: "The Israeli branch pursues a non-confrontational but non-Zionist stance vis-à-vis the Israeli government. Their sons do not serve in the IDF."[3] In December 2020 Israel Hayom quoted Ben Barber, a public activist and member of the Bobov community, who said that relations between Haredim and IDF soldiers deployed in Bnei Brak to enforce COVID-19 lockdowns had improved because of direct contact.[12]

United States and Canada

Organisation EIN Address Details
Congregation Khal Shaarei Zion Bobov 85-4005332 4715 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219 501(c)(3), formed 2021[13]
Friends of Bobov Toronto 46-3308535 Brooklyn, New York 501(c)(3), formed 2013, to support the educational and religious institutions of the Bobov community in Toronto; revenue $146,034 and expenses $286,151 in 2024[14]

For other organisations see Bobov non profits in the US.

United Kingdom

The Bobov community in London is based in Stamford Hill. JCR-UK records a Bobov-45 synagogue, Chasidey Bobov-45 Beth Hamedrash, at 73 Clapton Common, Upper Clapton, London E5 9AA, from 2008, formerly the site of the Swan public house; it met at 26 Lampard Grove, London N16, from 2006 to 2008. It is affiliated to the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations and is distinct from the Kehal Chasidei Bobov Beth Hamedrash in Egerton Road, London N16, which follows Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam.[4]

Charity Number Address Income Where it operates Notes
Kahal Chassidim Bobov 278823 87 Egerton Road, London N16 6UE £2,585,547 (year to 31 March 2025) England, Austria, Belgium, Israel, United States Registered 27 March 1980. Objects: the advancement of the Jewish religion "and the world-wide organisation of Chassidim of the Grand Rabbi Bobov in particular", in the UK or elsewhere. Runs a charity voucher system and makes grants. Received funds from the Stempel Charity (243913) on 29 August 2024.[15]
Mosdos Bobov 1151332 253 Kyverdale Road, London N16 6PQ £84,507 (year to 31 July 2025) Barnet, Hackney, Haringey, Belgium, Israel, United States Registered 22 March 2013. Grants to people in need, especially at festivals, and for education and community activities.[16]
ABC Trust (working name: Association of the Bobov Community) 1126661 79 Wargrave Avenue, London N15 6TU £3,896,978 (year to 31 December 2024) Hackney, Haringey, Salford, Israel, United States Registered 11 November 2008; formerly Ichud Chasidim Limited. Holds property under development as a community centre and synagogue and makes grants. Objects name Hackney, Haringey, Salford, Israel and the United States.[17]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Yitzchok Frankfurter, A Conversation With Professor Marcin Wodziński on Hasidism The Seforim Blog, 2 September 2018 (reprinted from Ami Magazine, 11 July 2018), accessed 27 October 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 David Assaf, Sandz Hasidic Dynasty YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe, accessed 27 October 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 David Derovan, Bobov Encyclopaedia Judaica (2nd ed.), via Encyclopedia.com, accessed 27 October 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 JCR-UK, Bobov-45 Beth Hamedrash, Clapton Common, London E5 JewishGen, accessed 27 October 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Gershon Tannenbaum, Bobover Rebbe’s Triumphant Visit To Israel Five Towns Jewish Times, 12 February 2015 (archived 4 December 2024), accessed 27 October 2026.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Margalit Fox, Naftali Halberstam Dies at 74; Bobov Hasidim's Grand Rabbi New York Times, 25 March 2005 (archived 25 August 2025), accessed 27 October 2026.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Andy Newman, A Battle for Succession Takes No Holiday New York Times, 26 March 2005 (archived 25 June 2024), accessed 27 October 2026.
  8. ↑ Kikar HaShabbat, פסק הדין שמרעיד את חסידות באבוב Kikar HaShabbat, 22 August 2014, accessed 27 October 2026.
  9. ↑ Haredim10, האדמו"ר הרמ"ד הכריע: מציית - מהיום החצר "באבוב 45" Haredim10, 19 November 2014, accessed 27 October 2026.
  10. ↑ David Damen, My Rebbe, My Rebbi Mishpacha, 9 June 2024, accessed 27 October 2026.
  11. ↑ Olam HaTorah, Kedushat Tzion – Bobov Torah Index (archived 18 June 2025), accessed 27 October 2026.
  12. ↑ Dan Lavie, Coronavirus brings soldiers and Haredim closer together Israel Hayom, 30 December 2020 (archived 18 January 2026), accessed 27 October 2026.
  13. ↑ Cause IQ, Congregation Khal Shaarei Zion Bobov Cause IQ, accessed 27 October 2026.
  14. ↑ Cause IQ, Friends of Bobov Toronto Cause IQ, accessed 27 October 2026.
  15. ↑ Charity Commission, KAHAL CHASSIDIM BOBOV – 278823 Charity Commission for England and Wales, accessed 27 October 2026.
  16. ↑ Charity Commission, MOSDOS BOBOV – 1151332 Charity Commission for England and Wales, accessed 27 October 2026.
  17. ↑ Charity Commission, THE ABC TRUST – 1126661 Charity Commission for England and Wales, accessed 27 October 2026.
Retrieved from "https://powerbase.info/index.php?title=Bobov_(Hasidic_dynasty)&oldid=297908"