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{{Short description|Polish Hasidic dynasty}}
'''Bobov''' is a [[Hasidic]] group within [[Judaism]] with its headquarters in the neighborhood of [[Borough Park]] in [[Brooklyn, New York]]. It has branches in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, [[Monsey, New York]], [[Miami]], [[Montreal]], [[Toronto]], [[Antwerp]], and [[London]]. In [[Israel]] Bobov has its headquarters in [[Bat Yam]], and branches in [[Jerusalem]], [[Bnei Brak]], and [[Ashdod]].
{{Infobox religious group
| group = Bobov Hasidic Dynasty
| flag =
| flag_size =
| flag_alt =
| flag_caption =
| image = באבוב חגי.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Bobov Institutions in Jerusalem


| population = <!-- Total population here -->
Bobov originated with Rabbi [[Solomon Halberstam]] in the [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galician]] village of Bobowa, where the bulk of his Hasidim were originally followers of his grandfather, Rabbi Chaim Halberstam, known as the Rabbi of [[Nowy Sacz|Sanz]], or by the name of his books the ''Divrei Chaim''.
| founder = Rabbi [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover Rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]]
| regions = Israel, United States, Western Europe
| tablehdr =


| region1 = Israel
While most of the early yeshivos originated in Lithuania, by the early [[1900s]] there existed many ''yeshivoth'' in [[Poland]]. The first yeshivah in Poland was started by Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, and was known as the Bobover Yeshivah. His work was continued by his son Rabbi Benzion Halberstam, originally in the town Bobov itself but later branching into as many as sixty satellite ''yeshivoth''. Chassidic youth in Poland flocked to Bobov have the opportunity to speak with Rabbi Halberstam in private.
| pop1 = <!-- Population in Israel here -->
| ref1 =
| region2 = United States
| pop2 = <!-- Population in the United States here -->
| ref2 =
| region3 = Western Europe
| pop3 = <!-- Population in Western Europe here -->
| ref3 =


| religions = Hasidic Judaism
[[Image:Bobover Rebbe.jpg|thumb|Rabbi Solomon Halberstam, the previous Bobover [[Rebbe]] in his later years]]
| scriptures =
| languages =
| related-c =
| website =
| notes =
}}


'''Bobov''' (or '''Bobover Hasidism''') ({{langx|he|חסידות באבוב}}, {{langx|yi|בּאָבּאָװ}}) is a [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic]] community within [[Haredi Judaism]], originating in [[Bobowa]], [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]], in southern Poland,<ref name=NYT2005 /> and now headquartered in the neighborhood of [[Borough Park, Brooklyn|Borough Park]], in [[Brooklyn, New York]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Mintz |first=Jerome |date=1998 |title=Hasidic People |publisher=Harvard University Press |page=120 |isbn=978-0-674-04109-7 }}</ref>
With his passing, his son Rabbi Benzion Halberstam took the lead as the ''Bobover [[Rebbe]]'', and by creating over 60 Yeshivas throughout [[Poland]], he gained popularity among the youth, which in turn gained him many thousands of followers.


Bobov developed into a leading Hasidic dynasty through the leadership of [[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]], a [[Holocaust survivors|Holocaust survivor]]. After the death of his son [[Naftali Halberstam|Naftali]], a succession crisis ensued, leading to the ascension of Naftali's half-brother [[Benzion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]] as Grand Rebbe, and his son-in-law [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]] as leader of {{Pslink|Bobov-45}}, a breakaway faction.
After [[World War II]], barely 300 of his loyal followers remained worldwide. The rest perished together with him during the [[Holocaust]], killed by the [[Nazis]] and their [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] allies. His son Rabbi Solomon Halberstam took it upon himself to rebuild Bobov. He first settled on the West Side of [[Manhattan]], later moved to Crown Heights in Brooklyn, and finally settled in Borough Park. Rabbi Solomon was a bit more "worldly" in his ideas compared to other Hasidic groups. He was noted for his outspokenness against disputes between Hasidic groups. This brought him great popularity and respect.


Bobov communities are found in the [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]] section of Brooklyn; in [[Monsey, New York]]; Los Angeles; [[Lakewood, New Jersey]]; Linden NJ; Montreal; Toronto; [[Antwerp]]; and London.<ref name=NYT2005/> In Israel, Bobov has large branches in Jerusalem, [[Bnei Brak]], [[Ashdod]], [[Elad]], [[Beitar Illit]], and an enclave, "Kiryas Bobov", in [[Bat Yam]].<ref>{{cite book
At the time of his death in August 2000, he was mourned by more followers than his father had in [[Poland]]. It has been noted that his date of death was on the same date of [[Aaron]] the Cohen, mentioned in the [[Torah]], which his son Rabbi Benzion Halberstam explained due to their similar character of loving peace.
|title=Hasidism in Israel: A History of the Hasidic Movement |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0765760681 |isbn=0765760681
|author=Tzvi Rabinowicz |date=2000| publisher=Jason Aronson }}</ref>


==Outline of Bobov's Hasidic rabbinical lineage==
With his passing, Rabbi Solomon's son Rabbi [[Naftali Halberstam]] became the new leader of Bobov. Rabbi Naftali passed away on March 23, 2005.
{{Tree chart/start|style=font-size:85%;line-height:100%;}}
{{Tree chart | BST |~| DBM |~| EOL |~| NTH |~| CHS |-| MNH |.|BST=Grand Rabbi<br />Yisroel ben Eliezer<br />'''[[Baal Shem Tov]]'''<br />(1698–1760)<br />founder of [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidism]]|DBM=Grand Rabbi<br />[[Dovber of Mezeritch|Dov Ber]]<br />(1710–1772)<br />the '''[[Maggid]] of Mezritch'''|EOL=Grand Rabbi<br />[[Elimelech of Lizhensk]]<br />(1717–1786)<br />author of '''Noam&nbsp;Elimelech'''|NTH=Grand Rabbi<br />[[Naftali Zvi of Ropshitz|Naftali Tzvi Horowitz]] of [[Ropshitz (Hasidic dynasty)|Ropshitz]]<br />(1760–1827)<br />author of '''Zera&nbsp;Kodesh'''|CHS='''Grand Rabbi<br />[[Chaim Halberstam]] of [[Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)|Sanz]]'''<br />(1793–1876)<br />author of '''Divrei&nbsp;Chaim'''|MNH='''Rabbi Myer Noson Halberstam'''<br />(1827–1855)}}
{{Tree chart |,|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|'| |}}
{{Tree chart |!| | | | | | | |,| SH2 |v| NTH |v| FMH | | | | | |SH2={{color|green|'''3.'''}} '''Grand Rabbi<br />[[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]]'''<br />(1907–2000)<br />{{color|green|'''Third Bobover ''Rebbe'''''}}<br />author of '''Divrei Shlomo'''|NTH={{color|green|'''4.'''}} '''Grand Rabbi<br />[[Naftali Halberstam|Hrh"k R Naftali Tzvi Halberstam]]'''<br />(1931–2005)<br />{{color|green|'''Fourth Bobover ''Rebbe'''''}}|FMH=''Female Halberstam''}}
{{Tree chart |!| | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | |!| |d|-|v|-|-|-|.|}}
{{Tree chart |`| SH1 |-| BH1 |(| | | |)| BH2 |!| MDU |`| RSU |`| RYU | |SH1={{color|green|'''1.'''}} '''Grand Rabbi<br />[[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]]'''<br />(1847–1905)<br />{{color|green|'''First Bobover ''Rebbe'''''}}<br />author of '''Ateres&nbsp;Shlomo'''<br />eldest grandson of the ''[[Chaim Halberstam|Divrei Chaim]]''|BH1={{color|green|'''2.'''}} '''Grand Rabbi<br />[[Ben Zion Halberstam]]'''<br />(1874–1941)<br />{{color|green|'''Second Bobover ''Rebbe'''''}}<br />author of '''Kedushas&nbsp;Tzion'''|BH2={{color|green|'''5.'''}} '''Grand Rabbi<br />[[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]]'''<br />(b. 1955)<br />{{color|green|'''Fifth Bobover ''Rebbe'''''}}|MDU= '''Grand Rabbi<br />[[Mordechai Dovid Unger|Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger Shlita]]'''<br />(b. 1954)<br />{{color|green|'''Bobov-45 ''Rebbe'''''}}|RSU=Rabbi Yosef Unger<br />''Ruv'' of ''Beth Midrash Apirion Shel Shlome and R"Y of Yeshiva Ketane of Bobov 45 <br />''|RYU=Rabbi Shulim Unger bobov-45 ruv london}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | | }}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |)| FMH |`| FMH |,| FMR | |FMH=''Female Halberstam''|FMR=''Female Rubin''}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| |:| | | |d|-|(| |:| | | STU=Teacher → Student}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| CYT | | RYR |!| ZHR | |CYT=Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Tauber<br />Bobov ''Dayan''| RYR={{color|green|}} '''Rabbi Yehoshua Rubin (born 1952)<br />'''Bobov-45 ''Ruv''''' <br />'''|ZHR=Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Rabinovich<br />present ''Ruv'' of Bobov-45 in [[Monsey, New York|Monsey]]}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | |!| | | | }}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |)| FMH | | | | |`| FMR | |FMH=''Female Halberstam''|FMR=''Female Rubin''}}
{{Tree chart | |~| | STU | | |!| | | |!| |:| | | | | | | |:| | |STU=Teacher → Student}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| YBG |-| SG| | | MYE | |YBG=Rabbi Yonasan Binyamin Goldberger<br />''First Rebbe'' of [[Bukowsko|Bikofsk]] & ''Rosh Hakolel'' of Bobov|SG= Rabbi Shimon Goldberger <br />'' Second and Current Rebbe of [[Bukowsko|Bikofsk]]|MYE=Rabbi Meyer Yosef Eichenstein<br />Present ''Rosh Hakolel'' of Bobov-45}}
{{Tree chart | |-| | SON | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | |SON=Father → Son}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |)| FMH | | | | | | | | | |FMH=''Female Halberstam''|}}
{{Tree chart | |:| | WIF | | |!| | | |!| |:| | | | | | | | | | | WIF=Husband ↔ Wife}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| BZB | | | | | | | | | |BZB=Rabbi Ben Zion Blum<br />Bobover ''Dayan'' of [[London]]}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | |}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |)| FMH | | | | | | | | | |FMH=''Female Halberstam''|}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| |:| | | | | | | | | | |}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| YYM | | | | | | | | | |YYM=Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Meisles<br />Bobover ''Ruv'' of ''Kiryath Bobov'' in [[Bat Yam]]}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | |}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |`| FMH | | | | | | | | | |FMH=''Female Halberstam''|}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | |:| | | | | | | | | | |}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | BAH | | | | | | | | | |BAH=Rabbi Boruch Avraham Horowitz<br />present ''[[Rosh yeshiva|Rosh Yeshiva]]'' of Mesivta Eitz Chaim of Bobov}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | }}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |,| BDH |-| BZDH| | | | | | |BDH=Rabbi Baruch Dovid Halberstam<br />''Sorvosher Ruv''|BZDH= Rabbi Ben Zion Dov Halberstam}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |)| CYH |(| | | | | | | | | | | | |CYH=Rabbi Chaim Yehoshua Halberstam}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |`| YYH |-| CYH | | | | | |YYH=Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Halberstam<br />''Ruv'' of ''Beis Chaim Yehoshua''|CYH=Rabbi [[Chaim Yehoshua Halberstam]]<br />Rabbi of [[Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)|Satmar]] in [[Monsey, New York|Monsey]]}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | }}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |,| YHP | | | | | | | | | |YHP=Rabbi Yechiel Halberstam<br />''Pokshivnitzer Rebbe'' of [[Monsey, New York|Monsey]], NY}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | }}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | |`| YDH |+| CHP | | | | | | | | | |YDH=Rabbi Yechezkel Dovid Halberstam<br />''Pokshivnitzer Rebbe''|CHP=Rabbi Chaim Halberstam<br />''Pokshivnitzer Rebbe'' of [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]]}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | }}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | | | | |)| BHP | | | | | | | | | |BHP=Rabbi Ben Zion Avraham Halberstam<br />''Pokshivnitzer Rebbe'' of [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]]}}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | }}
{{Tree chart | | | | | | | | | | | | |`| RSH | | | | | | | | | |RSH=Rabbi Shloime Halberstam<br />''Pokshivnitzer Rebbe'' of [[Lakewood, New Jersey]]}}
{{Tree chart/end}}


==History==
===First Rebbe of Bobov, Shlomo Halberstam (1847 – 1905)===
[[File:Bobov S1.jpg|thumb|120px|Rabbi [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]], the first Bobover Rebbe]]
Bobov originated with [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]], who was the grandson of Grand Rabbi [[Chaim Halberstam]] of [[Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)|Sanz]],<ref>{{cite web |title=We Are the King's Children |website=Torah.org
|url=https://torah.org/torah-portion/hamaayan-5760-shoftim |date=June 7, 2002}}</ref> in the [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galician]] village of Bobowa.<ref name=NYT2005/>


While most of the early [[Yeshiva|yeshivos]] (Talmudical academies) originated in [[Lithuanian Jews|Lithuania]], the 19th century saw the opening of similar institutions in [[Poland]]. The first yeshiva in Poland was established by the first Bobover Rebbe in 1881 in [[Nowy Wiśnicz|Vishnitsa]], where he was rabbi then; and it later moved with him to Bobov.
{{Judaism-stub}}


===Second Bobover Rebbe, Benzion Halberstam (1874 – 1941)===
[[Category:Orthodox Judaism]]
His work was continued by his son, Grand Rabbi [[Ben Zion Halberstam]], author of ''Kedushas Tzion''.<ref> The Second Bobover Rebbe, Rabbi Ben Zion bar Shlomo Halberstam, was born in 1874 (5634) in the village of Bikofsk, Galicia. His family moved to Bobov and, ... {{cite web |url=http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/communities/trzebinia/religious_life_halberstam.asp |website=YadVaShem.org |title=19 km from Auschwitz. The Story of Trzebinia |access-date=2018-07-23 |archive-date=2018-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724002335/http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/communities/trzebinia/religious_life_halberstam.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Bobov Yeshiva was originally situated only in the town of Bobov itself. However, under his guidance, the court grew in numbers, with Hasidic youth flocking to Bobov. Subsequently, as many as sixty branches of the yeshiva under the name [[Etz Chaim]] were established throughout Galicia.

During [[World War II]], the Bobov Hasidic movement was destroyed. The second Rebbe himself was murdered in [[the Holocaust]], together with family members<ref name=NYT2005/> and thousands of his followers.

===Third Bobover Rebbe, Shlomo Halberstam (1908 – 2000)===
Barely 300 Hasidim survived, and the Rebbe's son, [[Shlomo Halberstam (third Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]], took it upon himself to rebuild Bobov.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite web |quote=...had been all but wiped out by the Nazi Holocaust. Virtually single-handedly, Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, who has died aged 92, revived it.|date=September 1, 2000 |website=TheGuardian.com|title=Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/sep/02/guardianobituaries}}</ref> He first settled in the [[West Side (Manhattan)|West Side of Manhattan]], later moving to the [[Bedford-Stuyvesant]] neighborhood of Brooklyn. The yeshiva, which was originally located at 184 Brooklyn Avenue, later moved to the nearby [[Borough Park, Brooklyn|Borough Park]] neighborhood. Shlomo Halberstam was known for his wisdom, his caring for others, and his steadfastness in not taking sides in disputes.

Over the more than fifty years<ref>pre-WW II thru '00</ref><ref name=Guardian/> that Shlomo Halberstam was Rebbe of Bobov, he founded and built a worldwide network of synagogues, Hasidic schools for boys and girls,<ref>{{cite web |date=August 17, 2000|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1353023/Grand-Rabbi-Solomon-Halberstam.html|title=Grand Rabbi Solomon Halberstam}}</ref> ''[[mesivta]]s'' (high schools), and post-high school houses of learning. Besides schools, a summer camp for boys was founded in 1957 in [[Ferndale, New York]], and a girls camp, Camp Gila, was founded a few years later. At the time of his death in August 2000, he was mourned by more followers than his father had in pre-war Poland. At his funeral it was publicly announced that his oldest son Naftali would succeed him as Rebbe, and his younger brother Ben Zion would serve as ''Rav Hatzair'' (assistant rabbi).

===Fourth Bobover Rebbe, Naftali Halberstam (1931 – 2005)===
With Shlomo Halberstam's death, his older son, [[Naftali Halberstam|Naftali Zvi Halberstam]], succeeded him. Naftali Zvi died on March 23, 2005<ref name=NYT2005>{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 25, 2005
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/obituaries/naftali-halberstam-dies-at-74-bobov-hasidims-grand-rabbi.html
|title=Naftali Halberstam Dies at 74; Bobov Hasidim's Grand Rabbi}}</ref> (12th of [[Adar II]], 5765), at age 74, leaving a wife, two daughters, and two sons-in-law: [[Yehoshua Rubin]], Rav of Bobov-45; and [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]], Rebbe of Bobov-45.

===Fifth and current Rebbe of Bobov, Ben Zion Halberstam (1955 –)===
After Naftali Tzvi Halberstam died in 2005, a dispute arose<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vosizneias.com/43572|title=Borough Park, NY - Bobov Dispute Heads Into Final Stage At Din Torah, Not Secular Court|website=VosIzNeias|access-date=2017-12-17|archive-date=2019-04-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430151158/https://www.vosizneias.com/43572|url-status=dead}}</ref> among Bobover Hasidim as to who should attain the dynasty leadership. Some began to follow [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]], the younger brother of the late Rebbe, while others followed his son-in-law Unger, who was older by one year.{{sfn|Heilman|2013|p=236}} Unger had already ensconced himself firmly within the community by then, and could not challenge his own father's leadership of [[Dombrov (Hasidic dynasty)|Dombrov]], which anyway was not as substantial a dynasty.{{sfn|Heilman|2013|p=237}} The matter of succession was brought before a [[beth din]] (religious court) in 2007, which ruled that Halberstam would be declared the fifth Rebbe of Bobov ({{lang|he|אדמו"ר מבאבוב}}) with its headquarters on 48th Street in Borough Park,{{sfn|Heilman|2013|p=238}} while Unger would be Rebbe of [[Bobov-45]] ({{lang|he|אדמו"ר מבאבוב-45}}), located on 45th Street.{{sfn|Heilman|2013|p=238}}<ref>(October 26, 2017) [https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/237233 "Watch: Bobov-45 Rebbe Dances at Wedding"], ''Arutz 7''. Retrieved November 18, 2021.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Nussbaum Cohen|first1=Debra|title=Serenading the Bobov Bride|url=http://forward.com/sisterhood/152261/serenading-the-bobov-bride/|work=The Forward|date=February 29, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Forward|url=https://forward.com/news/national/337575/hasidic-businessman-who-flipped-aids-home-part-of-sect-with-cozy-ties-to-ma|title=Hasidic Businessman Who Flipped AIDS Home Part of Sect With Cozy Ties to Mayor Bill de Blasio|quote=The Bobov rebbe, Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, ...|date=April 1, 2016}}</ref><ref name=UKbranch>{{cite web|website=JCR-UK Jewish Communities & Records |url=https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/London/stamford_shteibls/bobov-clapton.htm|title=Bobov Synagogue, Clapton Common, London|access-date=2018-07-23|archive-date=2018-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723212357/https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/London/stamford_shteibls/bobov-clapton.htm|url-status=dead|quote=Chasidey Bobov-45 Beth Hamedrash, London, UK. The congregation should not be confused with the Beth Hemedrash of Kehal Chasidei Bobov of Egerton Road N16, which follows Ben Zion Halberstam's leadership.}}</ref> While the former community retained the rights to the name "Bobov", Unger's faction was permitted to use the name, provided that the qualifier be added to it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dropbox.com/s/hhgrhlpcyq1jg4s/bobov%20psd.pdf?dl=0|title=bobov psd.pdf|website=Dropbox}}</ref>

==Bobov-45==
An offshoot of the Bobov dynasty, Bobov-45 is headquartered in Borough Park. It has branches in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]] and [[Monsey, New York]]; [[Lakewood, New Jersey]]; Los Angeles; Montreal; London; Manchester; [[Antwerp]]; and an enclave "Yishuv of Chasidei Bobov-45" in [[Union Township, Union County, New Jersey|Union]], New Jersey. In Israel, Bobov-45 has branches in Jerusalem, [[Bnei Brak]], [[Beit Shemesh]], [[Ashdod]], [[Elad]], and [[Beitar Illit]].

===History of Bobov-45===
The third Bobover Rebbe, Shlomo Halberstam, rebuilt the Bobov Hasidic dynasty in the United States after losing his wife and most of his children in [[the Holocaust]]. His son Naftali, who survived,<ref name=Reb>{{cite web|date=August 1, 2008|title=The Life And Legacy Of Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam|url=https://www.vosizneias.com/18763/2008/08/01/borough-park-ny-the-legacy-and-life-of-rabbi-shlomo-halberstam-zt%E2%80%9Dl-the-tzadik-that-rebuild-the-bobov-dynasty-in-america}}</ref> became the fourth Rebbe upon his father's death. He had no sons but left two daughters, one of whom married Yehoshua Rubin, and the other [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]]. In 2005, after Naftali's death, a group of Bobover Hasidim loyal to his son-in-law, Mordechai Dovid Unger, preferred him to take over the position of Rebbe of Bobov.

The dispute was taken to a ''[[beth din]]'' (arbitration panel), which ruled that Halberstam held the rights to the name "Bobov", and to all Bobov institutions.
Unger was allowed to use the name Bobov, provided that a qualifier be added to it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/237233|title= Bobov-45 Rebbe Dances at Wedding|date=October 26, 2017}}</ref> The suffix "-45" was henceforth adopted in tribute to the street on which the community center of the sect was located at the time. In addition, the ''beth din'' ordered Bobov to pay $6,200,000 to Bobov-45's Rebbe and ''[[dayan (rabbinic judge)|dayan]]'' in twenty-five quarterly installments, as an allotment of their faction's share of the inheritance of the Bobov enterprise's assets, it is unknown what the value of the assets were at the time.

===First and current Grand rabbi of Bobov-45 Mordechai Dovid Unger (1954 –)===
Unger, the first [[Grand Rabbi]] of Bobov-45, is the younger son-in-law of the fourth Bobover Rebbe, Naftali Halberstam. Unger has been active in the wider Jewish community.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jan 20, 2016 - The Bobov 45 Rebbe, Reb Mordche Duvid Unger Shlita, being Menachem Aveil the BMG Rish Yeshivah HaRav Yerucham Olshin Shlita|url=http://www.thelakewoodscoop.com/news/2016/01/photos-bobov-45-rebbe-being-menachem-aveil-bmg-rosh-yeshivah.html|date=January 20, 2016|website=TheLakewoodScoop.com}}</ref> Yehoshua Rubin, the older son-in-law of Halberstam, is the current ''[[Dayan (rabbinic judge)|dayan]]'' and rabbinical leader of the sect.

===Institutions===
Community institutions, such as a [[synagogue]], have been built within Bobov-45.
Other Bobov infrastructure includes
a [[Yeshiva]],<ref>{{cite web
|title=Rabbinical College Bobover Yeshiva
|url = https://rabbinicalcollegeboboveryeshiva.edu/}}</ref>
[[beth midrash]] (study hall),<ref>{{cite web
|title=Driving directions to Bobov-45 Bais Medrash, Brooklyn, United States
|url=https://www.waze.com/directions/united-states/brooklyn/bobov-45-bais-medrash/187433366.1874399199.1333442.html}}</ref>
''[[cheder]]'' (elementary school),<ref>{{cite web |title=Science Fair at the Bobov-45 Cheider |website=Hamodia.com |url=http://hamodia.x2webs.net/2016/03/14/science-fair-bobov-45-cheider |date=March 14, 2016 |access-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-date=July 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724060815/http://hamodia.x2webs.net/2016/03/14/science-fair-bobov-45-cheider/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[Mesivta|yeshiva ketana]] (secondary school),<ref>"Federal contract awards,..." {{cite web
|title=Contracting Profile: Yeshiva Ketana Of Bobov 45, Inc. Brooklyn NY
|url=https://govtribe.com/vendor/yeshiva-ketana-of-bobov-45-inc-brooklyn-ny}}</ref>
''[[mesivta]]'',<ref name=Mesivta>{{cite web
|url=https://hamodia.com/2017/11/03/bde-harav-mendel-gross-menahel-bobov-45-mesivta
|title=BDE: Harav Mendel Gross, Menahel of Bobov-45 Mesivta |date=November 3, 2017}}</ref>
[[Bais_Yaakov#Hasidic_schools|girls school]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Bobov-45 readies for ceremony This Sunday celebrating the re-dedication of massive 150,000 s.f. school building in Borough Park |url=https://boropark24.com/bobov-45-readies-for-ceremony-this-sunday-celebrating-the-rededication-of-massive-150000-sf-school-building-in-borough-park/ |website=Boro Park 24 |date=Feb 16, 2019}}</ref>
day camp,<ref>{{cite web |date=June 28, 2016
|title=Bobov 45 (BP) Day Camp Song '16 on Vimeo |url=https://vimeo.com/172670457}}</ref>
and wedding halls.<ref>"Today, is the wedding of a granddaughter of The Bobov-45 Rebbe Shlita ..."
{{cite web |website=BoroPark24 |url=https://www.boropark24.com/bobov-45-wedding-tonight
|title=Bobov 45 Wedding – Furshpeil |date=May 27, 2018}}</ref>

== Notable People ==
* [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover Rebbe)]]
* [[Ben Zion Halberstam]]
* [[Shlomo Halberstam]]
* [[Naftali Halberstam]]
* [[Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam]]
* [[Mordechai Dovid Unger]]
* [[Simcha Eichenstein]]
* [[Benzion Miller]]

==See also==
* [[Hasidic Judaism in Poland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite journal |last1=Heilman |first1=Samuel C. |title=What's in a Name? The Dilemma of Title and Geography for Contemporary Hasidism |journal=Jewish History |date=December 2013 |volume=27 |issue=2–4 |pages=221–240 |doi=10.1007/s10835-013-9187-5 |s2cid=254602685 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1460841654 |access-date=December 3, 2023|id={{ProQuest|1460841654}} }}

{{Hasidic dynasties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bobov (Hasidic dynasty)| ]]
[[Category:Hasidic dynasties]]
[[Category:Hasidic Judaism in New York City]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in England]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in Antwerp]]
[[Category:Jewish groups in Poland]]

Latest revision as of 05:53, 22 October 2024

Bobov Hasidic Dynasty
Bobov Institutions in Jerusalem
Founder
Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam
Regions with significant populations
Israel, United States, Western Europe
Religions
Hasidic Judaism

Bobov (or Bobover Hasidism) (Hebrew: חסידות באבוב, Yiddish: בּאָבּאָװ) is a Hasidic community within Haredi Judaism, originating in Bobowa, Galicia, in southern Poland,[1] and now headquartered in the neighborhood of Borough Park, in Brooklyn, New York.[2]

Bobov developed into a leading Hasidic dynasty through the leadership of Shlomo Halberstam, a Holocaust survivor. After the death of his son Naftali, a succession crisis ensued, leading to the ascension of Naftali's half-brother Benzion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam as Grand Rebbe, and his son-in-law Mordechai Dovid Unger as leader of Bobov-45, a breakaway faction.

Bobov communities are found in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn; in Monsey, New York; Los Angeles; Lakewood, New Jersey; Linden NJ; Montreal; Toronto; Antwerp; and London.[1] In Israel, Bobov has large branches in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Ashdod, Elad, Beitar Illit, and an enclave, "Kiryas Bobov", in Bat Yam.[3]

Outline of Bobov's Hasidic rabbinical lineage

[edit]
Grand Rabbi
Yisroel ben Eliezer
Baal Shem Tov
(1698–1760)
founder of Hasidism
Grand Rabbi
Dov Ber
(1710–1772)
the Maggid of Mezritch
Grand Rabbi
Elimelech of Lizhensk
(1717–1786)
author of Noam Elimelech
Grand Rabbi
Naftali Tzvi Horowitz of Ropshitz
(1760–1827)
author of Zera Kodesh
Grand Rabbi
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz

(1793–1876)
author of Divrei Chaim
Rabbi Myer Noson Halberstam
(1827–1855)
3. Grand Rabbi
Shlomo Halberstam

(1907–2000)
Third Bobover Rebbe
author of Divrei Shlomo
4. Grand Rabbi
Hrh"k R Naftali Tzvi Halberstam

(1931–2005)
Fourth Bobover Rebbe
Female Halberstam
1. Grand Rabbi
Shlomo Halberstam

(1847–1905)
First Bobover Rebbe
author of Ateres Shlomo
eldest grandson of the Divrei Chaim
2. Grand Rabbi
Ben Zion Halberstam

(1874–1941)
Second Bobover Rebbe
author of Kedushas Tzion
5. Grand Rabbi
Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam

(b. 1955)
Fifth Bobover Rebbe
Grand Rabbi
Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger Shlita

(b. 1954)
Bobov-45 Rebbe
Rabbi Yosef Unger
Ruv of Beth Midrash Apirion Shel Shlome and R"Y of Yeshiva Ketane of Bobov 45
Rabbi Shulim Unger bobov-45 ruv london
Female HalberstamFemale HalberstamFemale Rubin
Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Tauber
Bobov Dayan
Rabbi Yehoshua Rubin (born 1952)
Bobov-45 Ruv
Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Rabinovich
present Ruv of Bobov-45 in Monsey
Female HalberstamFemale Rubin
Teacher → Student
Rabbi Yonasan Binyamin Goldberger
First Rebbe of Bikofsk & Rosh Hakolel of Bobov
Rabbi Shimon Goldberger
Second and Current Rebbe of Bikofsk
Rabbi Meyer Yosef Eichenstein
Present Rosh Hakolel of Bobov-45
Father → Son
Female Halberstam
Husband ↔ Wife
Rabbi Ben Zion Blum
Bobover Dayan of London
Female Halberstam
Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Meisles
Bobover Ruv of Kiryath Bobov in Bat Yam
Female Halberstam
Rabbi Boruch Avraham Horowitz
present Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Eitz Chaim of Bobov
Rabbi Baruch Dovid Halberstam
Sorvosher Ruv
Rabbi Ben Zion Dov Halberstam
Rabbi Chaim Yehoshua Halberstam
Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Halberstam
Ruv of Beis Chaim Yehoshua
Rabbi Chaim Yehoshua Halberstam
Rabbi of Satmar in Monsey
Rabbi Yechiel Halberstam
Pokshivnitzer Rebbe of Monsey, NY
Rabbi Yechezkel Dovid Halberstam
Pokshivnitzer Rebbe
Rabbi Chaim Halberstam
Pokshivnitzer Rebbe of Flatbush
Rabbi Ben Zion Avraham Halberstam
Pokshivnitzer Rebbe of Flatbush
Rabbi Shloime Halberstam
Pokshivnitzer Rebbe of Lakewood, New Jersey

History

[edit]

First Rebbe of Bobov, Shlomo Halberstam (1847 – 1905)

[edit]
Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, the first Bobover Rebbe

Bobov originated with Shlomo Halberstam, who was the grandson of Grand Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz,[4] in the Galician village of Bobowa.[1]

While most of the early yeshivos (Talmudical academies) originated in Lithuania, the 19th century saw the opening of similar institutions in Poland. The first yeshiva in Poland was established by the first Bobover Rebbe in 1881 in Vishnitsa, where he was rabbi then; and it later moved with him to Bobov.

Second Bobover Rebbe, Benzion Halberstam (1874 – 1941)

[edit]

His work was continued by his son, Grand Rabbi Ben Zion Halberstam, author of Kedushas Tzion.[5] The Bobov Yeshiva was originally situated only in the town of Bobov itself. However, under his guidance, the court grew in numbers, with Hasidic youth flocking to Bobov. Subsequently, as many as sixty branches of the yeshiva under the name Etz Chaim were established throughout Galicia.

During World War II, the Bobov Hasidic movement was destroyed. The second Rebbe himself was murdered in the Holocaust, together with family members[1] and thousands of his followers.

Third Bobover Rebbe, Shlomo Halberstam (1908 – 2000)

[edit]

Barely 300 Hasidim survived, and the Rebbe's son, Shlomo Halberstam, took it upon himself to rebuild Bobov.[6] He first settled in the West Side of Manhattan, later moving to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The yeshiva, which was originally located at 184 Brooklyn Avenue, later moved to the nearby Borough Park neighborhood. Shlomo Halberstam was known for his wisdom, his caring for others, and his steadfastness in not taking sides in disputes.

Over the more than fifty years[7][6] that Shlomo Halberstam was Rebbe of Bobov, he founded and built a worldwide network of synagogues, Hasidic schools for boys and girls,[8] mesivtas (high schools), and post-high school houses of learning. Besides schools, a summer camp for boys was founded in 1957 in Ferndale, New York, and a girls camp, Camp Gila, was founded a few years later. At the time of his death in August 2000, he was mourned by more followers than his father had in pre-war Poland. At his funeral it was publicly announced that his oldest son Naftali would succeed him as Rebbe, and his younger brother Ben Zion would serve as Rav Hatzair (assistant rabbi).

Fourth Bobover Rebbe, Naftali Halberstam (1931 – 2005)

[edit]

With Shlomo Halberstam's death, his older son, Naftali Zvi Halberstam, succeeded him. Naftali Zvi died on March 23, 2005[1] (12th of Adar II, 5765), at age 74, leaving a wife, two daughters, and two sons-in-law: Yehoshua Rubin, Rav of Bobov-45; and Mordechai Dovid Unger, Rebbe of Bobov-45.

Fifth and current Rebbe of Bobov, Ben Zion Halberstam (1955 –)

[edit]

After Naftali Tzvi Halberstam died in 2005, a dispute arose[9] among Bobover Hasidim as to who should attain the dynasty leadership. Some began to follow Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, the younger brother of the late Rebbe, while others followed his son-in-law Unger, who was older by one year.[10] Unger had already ensconced himself firmly within the community by then, and could not challenge his own father's leadership of Dombrov, which anyway was not as substantial a dynasty.[11] The matter of succession was brought before a beth din (religious court) in 2007, which ruled that Halberstam would be declared the fifth Rebbe of Bobov (אדמו"ר מבאבוב) with its headquarters on 48th Street in Borough Park,[12] while Unger would be Rebbe of Bobov-45 (אדמו"ר מבאבוב-45), located on 45th Street.[12][13][14][15][16] While the former community retained the rights to the name "Bobov", Unger's faction was permitted to use the name, provided that the qualifier be added to it.[17]

Bobov-45

[edit]

An offshoot of the Bobov dynasty, Bobov-45 is headquartered in Borough Park. It has branches in Williamsburg and Monsey, New York; Lakewood, New Jersey; Los Angeles; Montreal; London; Manchester; Antwerp; and an enclave "Yishuv of Chasidei Bobov-45" in Union, New Jersey. In Israel, Bobov-45 has branches in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Ashdod, Elad, and Beitar Illit.

History of Bobov-45

[edit]

The third Bobover Rebbe, Shlomo Halberstam, rebuilt the Bobov Hasidic dynasty in the United States after losing his wife and most of his children in the Holocaust. His son Naftali, who survived,[18] became the fourth Rebbe upon his father's death. He had no sons but left two daughters, one of whom married Yehoshua Rubin, and the other Mordechai Dovid Unger. In 2005, after Naftali's death, a group of Bobover Hasidim loyal to his son-in-law, Mordechai Dovid Unger, preferred him to take over the position of Rebbe of Bobov.

The dispute was taken to a beth din (arbitration panel), which ruled that Halberstam held the rights to the name "Bobov", and to all Bobov institutions. Unger was allowed to use the name Bobov, provided that a qualifier be added to it.[19] The suffix "-45" was henceforth adopted in tribute to the street on which the community center of the sect was located at the time. In addition, the beth din ordered Bobov to pay $6,200,000 to Bobov-45's Rebbe and dayan in twenty-five quarterly installments, as an allotment of their faction's share of the inheritance of the Bobov enterprise's assets, it is unknown what the value of the assets were at the time.

First and current Grand rabbi of Bobov-45 Mordechai Dovid Unger (1954 –)

[edit]

Unger, the first Grand Rabbi of Bobov-45, is the younger son-in-law of the fourth Bobover Rebbe, Naftali Halberstam. Unger has been active in the wider Jewish community.[20] Yehoshua Rubin, the older son-in-law of Halberstam, is the current dayan and rabbinical leader of the sect.

Institutions

[edit]

Community institutions, such as a synagogue, have been built within Bobov-45. Other Bobov infrastructure includes a Yeshiva,[21] beth midrash (study hall),[22] cheder (elementary school),[23] yeshiva ketana (secondary school),[24] mesivta,[25] girls school,[26] day camp,[27] and wedding halls.[28]

Notable People

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Naftali Halberstam Dies at 74; Bobov Hasidim's Grand Rabbi". The New York Times. March 25, 2005.
  2. ^ Mintz, Jerome (1998). Hasidic People. Harvard University Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-674-04109-7.
  3. ^ Tzvi Rabinowicz (2000). Hasidism in Israel: A History of the Hasidic Movement. Jason Aronson. ISBN 0765760681.
  4. ^ "We Are the King's Children". Torah.org. June 7, 2002.
  5. ^ The Second Bobover Rebbe, Rabbi Ben Zion bar Shlomo Halberstam, was born in 1874 (5634) in the village of Bikofsk, Galicia. His family moved to Bobov and, ... "19 km from Auschwitz. The Story of Trzebinia". YadVaShem.org. Archived from the original on 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  6. ^ a b "Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam". TheGuardian.com. September 1, 2000. ...had been all but wiped out by the Nazi Holocaust. Virtually single-handedly, Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, who has died aged 92, revived it.
  7. ^ pre-WW II thru '00
  8. ^ "Grand Rabbi Solomon Halberstam". August 17, 2000.
  9. ^ "Borough Park, NY - Bobov Dispute Heads Into Final Stage At Din Torah, Not Secular Court". VosIzNeias. Archived from the original on 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
  10. ^ Heilman 2013, p. 236.
  11. ^ Heilman 2013, p. 237.
  12. ^ a b Heilman 2013, p. 238.
  13. ^ (October 26, 2017) "Watch: Bobov-45 Rebbe Dances at Wedding", Arutz 7. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  14. ^ Nussbaum Cohen, Debra (February 29, 2012). "Serenading the Bobov Bride". The Forward.
  15. ^ "Hasidic Businessman Who Flipped AIDS Home Part of Sect With Cozy Ties to Mayor Bill de Blasio". The Forward. April 1, 2016. The Bobov rebbe, Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, ...
  16. ^ "Bobov Synagogue, Clapton Common, London". JCR-UK Jewish Communities & Records. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-07-23. Chasidey Bobov-45 Beth Hamedrash, London, UK. The congregation should not be confused with the Beth Hemedrash of Kehal Chasidei Bobov of Egerton Road N16, which follows Ben Zion Halberstam's leadership.
  17. ^ "bobov psd.pdf" (PDF). Dropbox.
  18. ^ "The Life And Legacy Of Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam". August 1, 2008.
  19. ^ "Bobov-45 Rebbe Dances at Wedding". October 26, 2017.
  20. ^ "Jan 20, 2016 - The Bobov 45 Rebbe, Reb Mordche Duvid Unger Shlita, being Menachem Aveil the BMG Rish Yeshivah HaRav Yerucham Olshin Shlita". TheLakewoodScoop.com. January 20, 2016.
  21. ^ "Rabbinical College Bobover Yeshiva".
  22. ^ "Driving directions to Bobov-45 Bais Medrash, Brooklyn, United States".
  23. ^ "Science Fair at the Bobov-45 Cheider". Hamodia.com. March 14, 2016. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  24. ^ "Federal contract awards,..." "Contracting Profile: Yeshiva Ketana Of Bobov 45, Inc. Brooklyn NY".
  25. ^ "BDE: Harav Mendel Gross, Menahel of Bobov-45 Mesivta". November 3, 2017.
  26. ^ "Bobov-45 readies for ceremony This Sunday celebrating the re-dedication of massive 150,000 s.f. school building in Borough Park". Boro Park 24. Feb 16, 2019.
  27. ^ "Bobov 45 (BP) Day Camp Song '16 on Vimeo". June 28, 2016.
  28. ^ "Today, is the wedding of a granddaughter of The Bobov-45 Rebbe Shlita ..." "Bobov 45 Wedding – Furshpeil". BoroPark24. May 27, 2018.

Sources

[edit]