Chernobyl (Hasidic dynasty)
Hasidic dynasty founded in Chernobyl, Ukraine, by Menachem Nachum Twersky; parent of the Twersky family of courts and now led from Bnei Brak
| Chernobyl | |
|---|---|
| Founded | Chernobyl, Ukraine |
| Founder | Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl (1730?–1797) |
| Leader | Rebbe (Bnei Brak) Menachem Nachum Twersky |
| Headquarters | Bnei Brak |
| Type | Hasidic dynasty |
| Notes | |
Chernobyl (also Chernobil or Tchernobyl) is a Hasidic dynasty, one of the leading Hasidic communities of 19th-century Ukraine. It was founded by Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl (1730?–1797), a student of the Baal Shem Tov and of the Maggid of Mezritsh, who served as preacher (maggid) of the town of Chernobyl.[1] His son Mordechai (Motele) took the surname Twersky, and Motele's eight sons founded courts in different Ukrainian towns. Several of these became dynasties of their own, including Skver, Rachmastrivka, Talne and Trisk.[1][2] This page covers the dynasty as a whole and the court that still bears the Chernobyl name, which is led from Bnei Brak; the branch dynasties have their own pages.
Ami magazine wrote in 2019 that the rebbes of Belz, Bobov, Satmar, Stolin and Vizhnitz are all descendants of the first Chernobyl rebbe, and that nine rebbes named Twersky then lived in Israel, seven in the United States, two in England and one in Canada.[2] Associations bearing the Chernobyl name are registered in Israel, including in the West Bank settlement of Beitar Illit, and in New York State, and a London charity's name refers to Chernobyl institutions.
History
Founder
According to the YIVO Encyclopedia, Menachem Nachum apparently travelled around Ukraine as well as serving as maggid of Chernobyl, "mediating, advising, and spreading his teachings".[1] Ami says his book Me'or Einayim, first published in Slavuta in 1798, was one of the first works of Hasidic thought, and that he had two sons and a daughter. The elder son, Moshe, did not found a dynasty; the younger, Mordechai (1770–1837), took over his father's position in Chernobyl.[2]
Mordechai (Motele) and the Twersky name
YIVO says that Mordechai (Motele; 1770?–1837) adopted the surname Twersky and, "in keeping with the roles of Hasidic leaders of his era, transformed the faction into a mass movement". Whereas Nachum had lived modestly and in poverty, Hasidic anecdotes relate that Motele requisitioned money and valuables from his followers. His visits around Ukraine were increasingly to supervise his growing communities of followers and to add to their number.[1] Ami describes his court as one "of great opulence and magnificence", and says the family tradition is that the name Twersky comes from Tiberias (Teveria).[2]
The eight sons
By the 1840s seven of Motele's eight sons were Hasidic leaders. Motele's eldest son, Aharon, succeeded him in Chernobyl, while the others moved to other Ukrainian towns. YIVO links the dynasty's rise in popularity to the flight in 1842 of its chief rival, Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhin, the father-in-law of Motele's son Yitzchak. It calls Avraham, David and Yitzchak the leading tzaddikim of the family, and says David of Talne was "arguably the best-known rebbe of his generation in Ukraine".[1]
| Son | Dates | Town | Notes | Branch page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aharon | 1787–1871 | Chernobyl | Eldest son; succeeded his father in Chernobyl[1] | This page |
| Moshe | 1789–1866 | Korostyshev | YIVO says he "probably did not lead his own court"[1] | – |
| Yaakov Yisrael | 1794–1876 | Hornostaipol, then Cherkassy | Competed with his eldest brother[1] | Hornosteipel (Hasidic dynasty); Cherkassy (Hasidic dynasty) |
| Nachum | 1804–1851 | Makarov | [1] | Makarov (Hasidic dynasty) |
| Avraham, the Trisker Maggid | 1806–1889 | Turiysk (Trisk) | Attracted thousands of followers[1] | Trisk (Hasidic dynasty) |
| David (Duvidl) | 1808–1882 | Vasilkov, then Tal'noye from 1852 | [1] | Talne (Hasidic dynasty) |
| Yitzchak | 1812–1885 | Skvira | Encouraged his followers to read rabbinic rather than Hasidic works[1] | Skver (Hasidic dynasty) |
| Yochanan | 1816–1895 | Rotmistrivka | [1] | Rachmastrivka (Hasidic dynasty) |
Ami lists the eight courts as Chernobyl, Korostichev (Korshev), Cherkasy, Makarov, Trisk, Tolna, Skvira and Rachmastrivka, and says each son became a rebbe in his father's lifetime.[2]
Conflict with other Hasidic groups
YIVO says that competition among Hasidic groups in Ukraine had grown by the 1860s. The Chernobyl rebbes were not hostile to one another, with the exception of Yaakov Yisrael of Cherkassy, but their Hasidim "reacted with violence against rebbes of other dynasties". In the first half of the 1860s riots against the Bratslav Hasidim by David's followers and others were common. In 1864 David's followers tried by force to unseat the rebbe of Rezhishtshev. The attempt failed, but the scandal drew the attention of the Russian government, which placed the Twersky rebbes under house arrest. This decree, known as gzeyres tzadikov, stopped the rebbes from travelling to their followers and collecting money, and reduced their influence; David, and probably Avraham, then turned their homes and synagogues into pilgrimage courts.[1]
Decline and emigration
According to YIVO, pogroms in the 1880s brought economic ruin to Ukrainian Jews and their rebbes, and by the 1890s all of Motele's sons had died "without leaving strong successors". Rabbi Shelomoh Bentsiyon of Chernobyl led his Hasidim in Kiev until his death in 1939. Three of David's great-grandsons went to the United States before the First World War to serve as rebbes in New York, Philadelphia and Boston, and Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Skvira later founded New Square.[1]
Bnei Brak
Matzav says that Meshulam Zushe Twersky (1917–1987), the Chernobyl rebbe of Bnei Brak, was a direct descendant of Menachem Nachum in the eighth generation. He was born in Mozyr, Belarus, and lived and studied with his maternal grandfather, Rabbi Yeshaya Halberstam of Tchechoiv. He moved his court to Bnei Brak in 1959 and was succeeded by his son, Menachem Nachum.[3] Community Magazine says he escaped from Russia to the Land of Israel, and later from Galicia shortly before the Second World War, and that his first initiative there was a kollel called Zichron Kedoshim, in memory of his father and grandfather. It says that on his death in 5748 (1987) leadership in Bnei Brak passed to his eldest son, Menachem Nachum Twersky.[4]
The same magazine wrote in 2021 that the Bnei Brak community numbered "many hundreds of families", with smaller groups around Chernobyl study halls in Beit Shemesh and Elad. It said the rebbe made a yearly trip to France to visit the Sephardi community there, and was due to visit Deal, New Jersey, in August 2021.[4]
| Leader | Dates | Base | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl | 1730?–1797 | Chernobyl | Founder; author of Me'or Einayim[1][2] |
| Mordechai (Motele) Twersky | 1770?–1837 | Chernobyl | Son of Menachem Nachum[1] |
| Aharon Twersky | 1787–1871 | Chernobyl | Eldest son of Mordechai[1] |
| Shelomoh Bentsiyon of Chernobyl | died 1939 | Kiev | [1] |
| Meshulam Zushe Twersky | 1917–1987 | Bnei Brak | Moved his court to Bnei Brak in 1959[3] |
| Menachem Nachum Twersky | Bnei Brak | Eldest son of Meshulam Zushe; rebbe from 1987[4][3] |
Institutions in Israel
Associations (amutot) and a public benefit company with Chernobyl (in various spellings) in their names on the Israeli Registrar of Associations include the following.[5][6][7]
| Association | Number | Registered | Address | Income (latest report) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosdot Tchernobyl (מוסדות טשערנאביל) | 580019891 | 24 February 1984 | 10 HaRavad Street, Bnei Brak | ₪1,545,004 (2024) |
| Geon Tzvi – Tchernobyl (גאון צבי - טשערנאביל) | 580197937 | 26 November 1991 | 10 HaRavad Street, Bnei Brak | ₪19,886,387 (2024) |
| Me'orei Chernobyl (מאורי צ'רנוביל) | 580370146 | 15 January 2001 | 17 Bar Giora Street, Jerusalem | ₪12,052,499 (2024) |
| Mosdot Chasidut Tchernobyl Ltd (מוסדות חסידות טשרנוביל בע"מ), public benefit company | 513817213 | 29 Havakuk Street, Bnei Brak | ₪1,904,040 (2024) | |
| Yismach Lev, of Kehal Chasidei Tchernobyl (עמותת ישמח לב שע"י קהל חסידי טשערנאביל) | 580472942 | 30 January 2007 | 31 HaShlosha Street, Bnei Brak | ₪7,631,042 (2024) |
| Ezer VaChesed – Tchernobyl (עזר וחסד - טשערנאביל) | 580589083 | 8 April 2014 | 106 Sanhedria HaMurhevet, Jerusalem | ₪305,615 (2024) |
| Merkaz DeChasidei Tchernobyl (מרכז דחסידי טשערנאביל) | 580600922 | 11 January 2015 | 10 Kfar Etzion Boulevard, Bnei Brak | ₪2,059,637 (2024) |
| Mosdot LeTorah Chinuch VaChesed Chernobyl – Elad (מוסדות לתורה חינוך וחסד צ'רנוביל - אלעד) | 580611812 | 12 July 2015 | 3 HaRavad Street, Elad | ₪1,216,208 (2024) |
| Ish LeRe'ehu Tchernobyl (איש לרעהו טשערנאביל) | 580672152 | 18 November 2018 | 18 HaRav Shach Street, Bnei Brak | ₪229,909 (2023) |
| Tchernobyl Tzfat (טשערנאביל צפת) | 580693067 | 5 December 2019 | 11 Tzahal Street, Safed | – |
| Me'irat Einayim, of the Tchernobyl yeshiva (מאירת עיניים שע"י ישיבת טשערנאביל) | 580711109 | 8 November 2020 | 10 HaRavad Street, Bnei Brak | ₪993,676 (2025) |
| Merkaz HaTorah VeHaChesed Tchernobyl (מרכז התורה והחסד טשערנאביל) | 580721405 | 23 April 2021 | 13 Chaggai Street, Bnei Brak | ₪243,380 (2024) |
| Menorat Aharon Tchernobyl Beitar (מנורת אהרן טשערנאביל ביתר) | 580727337 | 29 August 2021 | 101 Kedushat Levi Street, Beitar Illit | ₪298,836 |
| Yeshivat Tiferet Yitzchak Tchernobyl Beit Shemesh (ישיבת תפארת יצחק טשערנאביל בית שמש) | 580755841 | 27 November 2022 | 43 HaRav Herzog Street, Beit Shemesh | ₪1,464,158 (2024) |
| Kehillat Tchernobyl Rama D Beit Shemesh (קהילת טשערנאביל רמה ד' בית שמש) | 580775088 | 21 September 2023 | 10 Rav Chanan Street, Beit Shemesh | ₪1,365,271 (2024) |
| Beit HaMidrash Tchernobyl Yerushalayim (בית המדרש טשערנאביל ירושלים) | 580800019 | 12 September 2024 | 3 Minchat Yitzchak Street, Jerusalem | ₪985,574 (2025) |
| Mosdot Tchernobyl Beit Shemesh (מוסדות טשערנאביל ב"ש) | 580849875 | 25 October 2026 | 13 HaAdmor MiBelz Street, Beit Shemesh | – |
The registered objects of Mosdot Tchernobyl are to support young and older Torah students; the registrar gives its Ottoman-law name as Yeshivat Tchernobyl "Zichron Kedoshim".[6] Ezer VaChesed – Tchernobyl in Jerusalem was set up to work for the Tchernobyl Hasidic community through a free-loan fund and welfare support.[6]
Menorat Aharon Tchernobyl Beitar, which runs a study hall and kollel and supports needy members of the community, is registered in Beitar Illit.[6] The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) says Beitar Illit was set up in 1985 on Palestinian-owned land from the villages of Husan (3,430 dunums), Nahhalin (688 dunums) and Wadi Fukin (567 dunums).[8] 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.[9]
United States
The IRS Business Master File for New York lists these tax-exempt organisations with Chernobyl (in various spellings) in their names. Organisations whose names refer to the 1986 nuclear disaster, and those that only have an address on Chernobyl Court in Monroe, are left out.[10]
| Organisation | EIN | Address on IRS file | IRS ruling | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kloiz Chernobil of Tzefas | 13-3262203 | 27A North Roosevelt Avenue, New Square, NY 10977 | May 1985 | Church[10] |
| Congregation Chernobil Inc | 11-2927523 | 4023 12th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218 | August 1988 | Church[10] |
| Mosdos Chernobel Inc | 11-2955846 | 4403 15th Avenue 345, Brooklyn, NY 11219 | May 1989 | Church[10] |
| Yeshivas Chernobil Ateres Meshulem Zusia Inc | 11-3284904 | 4023 12th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218 | January 1997 | Church[10] |
| Yeshiva Mesivta Chernobil | 11-3407931 | 4114 12th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219 | January 1998 | Church; also listed as "DBA Chernobil Building Fund"[10] |
No organisation with a Chernobyl-dynasty name appears on the IRS automatic revocation list.[11]
United Kingdom
British Friends of Mosdos Tchernobel (registered charity 1070877, registered 5 August 1998) is based at 160 Holmleigh Road, London N16 5PY. Its name means "Chernobyl institutions"; the register lists its objects as the advancement of the Orthodox Jewish religion and of Orthodox Jewish religious education, and the relief of poverty, with Israel as its area of benefit. It works mainly by making grants to organisations. Its trustees are Abraham Schechter (from 7 March 2013), Nathan Ollech (from 25 November 2025) and Rabbi Nathan Benjamin Bindiger. In the year to 31 March 2025 its income was £1,073,613 and its spending £1,148,049.[12] No source read for this page says which Chernobyl institutions it funds.
See also
- Skver (Hasidic dynasty)
- Rachmastrivka (Hasidic dynasty)
- Breslov (Hasidic dynasty)
- British Friends of Mosdos Tchernobel
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 Paul Radensky, Chernobil Hasidic Dynasty YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter, From the Idyllic Songs to the Y-Chromosome of the Rabbinical Dynasty of Chernobyl // A fascinating exploration of all things Chernobyl with the author and foremost expert on Chernobyl, Rabbi Yitzchok Meyer Twersky Ami Magazine, 5 June 2019, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Anshe.org/Matzav.com Newscenter, Today's Yahrtzeits & History – 17 Cheshvan Matzav.com, 4 November 2009, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Community Magazine, Chernobyl Community Magazine, July 2021, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "טשרנוביל" data.gov.il, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "טשערנאביל" data.gov.il, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Registrar of Associations, Israeli Ministry of Justice, Register of associations and public benefit companies: search "צ'רנוביל" data.gov.il, accessed 27 October 2026.
- ↑ Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem, "Expanding the settlement of Betar Illit" Warmly welcoming to the US Mideast special envoy G. Mitchell POICA, 9 March 2010, 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.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 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, British Friends of Mosdos Tchernobel (1070877): full print Register of Charities, accessed 27 October 2026.