Hasidism in Israel A History of the Hasidic Movement and Its Masters in the Holy Land

by Rabinowicz, Tzvi M.

• ISBN13: 9780765760685
• ISBN10: 0765760681
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-07-01
• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc.

Summary

The movement was Hasidism, the cataclysmic force that wiped away the narrow intellectualism that had estranged the Jewish masses from their heritage. Hasidism focused upon fundamental Judaism, on sublimely simple principles that stressed the joy of life, love of man, and sincerity in word and deed, qualities that the common people potentially possessed in full measure. The hasidic link with the Land of Israel is strong indeed. Apart from the United States of America, Israel now has the largest number of hasidim, probably numbering more than two hundred thousand. They are known by the dress they wear, by the way they speak, and by the melodies they hum. This is the first work of its kind to study the history and development of the hasidic community in Israel, from its foundation in the eighteenth century to the present.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Preface	xiii
Introduction	xv
Ger---A Kingdom of Torah	1	(22)
Belz---The Sabra Rebbe	23	(14)
Vizhnitz---A Center of Yiddishkeit	37	(16)
Kiryat Zanz---A Rebbe's Dream	53	(18)
Habad---The Global Lamplighters	71	(18)
Jerusalem and a Unique Community	89	(16)
Servants of the Lord	105	(16)
Dynastic Revivals	121	(16)
From Boston to Rahmastarivka	137	(10)
A Lithuanian and Romanian Legacy	147	(12)
Bene Berak---A Miniature Torah Town	159	(14)
The Singing Rabbi and His Neighbors	173	(14)
Dissent in the Movement	187	(20)
Trees with Many Branches	207	(20)
Cities of the Kabbalah	227	(14)
Hasidic Luminaries	241	(12)
The Munkacz Dynasty	253	(18)
Abdication of a Rabbi	271	(20)
Glossary	291	(10)
Bibliography	301	(4)
Index	305