Klausenburg (Hasidic dynasty)
Encyclopedia
- This article discusses the Sanz-Klausenburger dynasty that began with Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah HalberstamYekusiel Yehudah HalberstamYekusiel Yehudah Halberstam was an Orthodox rabbi and the founding rebbe of the Sanz-Klausenburg Hasidic dynasty....
and was divided into two movements in Israel and America. For information on the original Sanz dynasty founded by Rabbi Chaim of SanzChaim HalberstamChaim Halberstam of Sanz , known as the Divrei Chaim after his magnum opus on halakha, was a famous Hasidic Rebbe and the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty....
, see Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)The Sanz Hasidic dynasty was founded by Rabbi Chaim Halberstam Rabbi of Nowy Sącz , author of Divrei Chaim and a son-in-law of Rabbi Boruch Frankel Thumim , Rabbi of Lipník nad Bečvou , author of Boruch Taam.-Founder of dynasty:The Divrei Chaim was a disciple of Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz, who was...
Klausenburg (ˈkloʊzənbɜrɡ), also known as Sanz-Klausenburg, is a Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
dynasty that originated in the Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
n city of Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
(formerly Klausenburg), Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
At the behest of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam
Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam
Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam was an Orthodox rabbi and the founding rebbe of the Sanz-Klausenburg Hasidic dynasty....
, Klausenburger Rebbe from 1927–1994, the movement was split into two separate movements after his death, headed by his two sons. The Sanz-Klausenburger Hasidim are located in Borough Park, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, while the Sanzer Hasidim are based in Kiryat Sanz
Kiryat Sanz, Netanya
Kiryat Sanz is a Haredi neighborhood located at the northwestern end of Netanya, Israel. Founded in 1956 by the previous Klausenburger Rebbe, Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, who established his court here in 1960, Kiryat Sanz is the world center for Sanz-Klausenburg Hasidism...
, Netanya
Netanya
Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. There are also modest followings in Jerusalem, Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is a place in the north of the London Borough of Hackney, England, near the border with Haringey. It is home to Europe's largest Hasidic Jewish and Adeni Jewish community.Stamford Hill is NNE of Charing Cross.-History:...
, Antwerp and Union City, New Jersey
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
.
Sanz-Klausenburg rabbinical lineage
The Klausenburger Rebbes are descended from Rabbi Chaim HalberstamChaim Halberstam
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz , known as the Divrei Chaim after his magnum opus on halakha, was a famous Hasidic Rebbe and the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty....
of Sanz
Nowy Sacz
Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...
, who was a disciple of Rabbi Naftoli Tzvi of Ropshitz
Ropczyce
Ropczyce is a town in Subcarpathian Voivodeship in south-eastern Poland, situated in the Valley the Wielopolka River and is inhabited by 15,098 people . It is the seat of Ropczyce-Sędziszów County.-Geography:...
. Rabbi Naftoli was a disciple of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk
Elimelech of Lizhensk
Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk , a Rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement, was known after his hometown, Leżajsk near Rzeszów in Poland...
author of Noam Elimelech. Rebbe Elimelech was a disciple of Rebbe Dovber
Dovber of Mezeritch
Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch was a disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, and was chosen as his successor to lead the early movement...
, the Maggid (Preacher) of Mezritch, the primary disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism.
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History
The Klausenburger dynasty was founded by Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam in 1927 when he assumed the position of Rav of KlausenburgCluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, the capital city of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
in western Romania. Halberstam was the great-grandson of Rabbi Chaim of Sanz
Chaim Halberstam
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz , known as the Divrei Chaim after his magnum opus on halakha, was a famous Hasidic Rebbe and the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty....
, founder of the Sanz
Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)
The Sanz Hasidic dynasty was founded by Rabbi Chaim Halberstam Rabbi of Nowy Sącz , author of Divrei Chaim and a son-in-law of Rabbi Boruch Frankel Thumim , Rabbi of Lipník nad Bečvou , author of Boruch Taam.-Founder of dynasty:The Divrei Chaim was a disciple of Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz, who was...
Hasidic dynasty.
Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam grew up in Rudnik
Rudnik nad Sanem
Rudnik nad Sanem is a town in Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 6,765 . The town is located next to the river San, hence the "nad Sanem" part of the name, which was appended to the official name in 1997...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, a small town close to Sanz, and was known as a child prodigy and an excellent scholar. In the town of Klausenburg, which he led until the outbreak of World War II, he attracted many followers and a great number of Sanz Hasidim began to follow the young Rebbe.
As a result of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, almost the entire community was destroyed. Approximately 15% survived the Holocaust, including the Rebbe, who lost his wife and eleven children. He emerged as a leader in the displaced persons camps in Europe as he created a communal survivors organization called She'aris Hapleitah ("the surviving remnant"), which operated religious schools for boys and girls and yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
s for young men in 19 different DP camps, as well as a host of religious services.
In 1947, he emigrated to America and established his court in the Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
section of Brooklyn, where he began a widescale movement to increase Jewish observance. He founded many Jewish day school
Jewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide Jewish children with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full time basis, hence its name of "day school" meaning a school that the students attend for an entire day and not on a part time...
s and institutions of higher learning. He launched revolutionary programs for comprehensive study of the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
. He created a program called Mifal HaShas, in which students would master thirty folios of the Talmud in one month. His influence permeated areas as far as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Israel.
In 1957 he established the Kiryat Sanz
Kiryat Sanz, Netanya
Kiryat Sanz is a Haredi neighborhood located at the northwestern end of Netanya, Israel. Founded in 1956 by the previous Klausenburger Rebbe, Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, who established his court here in 1960, Kiryat Sanz is the world center for Sanz-Klausenburg Hasidism...
neighborhood in the beachside city of Netanya
Netanya
Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...
, Israel. Over the next few years, he raised money for the establishment of girls' and boys' schools and yeshivas, an orphanage, an old-age home and a hospital to serve this community. He moved to Kiryat Sanz in 1960. In 1968 he founded yet another Sanz community in Union City, New Jersey
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
, and afterwards divided his time between that community and his residence in Netanya.
Halberstam died on June 18, 1994, and was buried in Netanya. In his will, he divided leadership of the Klausenburger Hasidim between his two sons (both born in his second marriage after World War II). His elder son, Zvi Elimelech Halberstam
Zvi Elimelech Halberstam
Zvi Elimelech Halberstam is the present Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe of Netanya, Israel. He is also known as the Sanzer Rebbe. He is the eldest son of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, the first Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, who in his will divided the leadership of the Klausenburger Hasidim between his...
, became the Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe (also called Sanzer Rebbe) of Netanya, and Shmuel Dovid Halberstam
Shmuel Dovid Halberstam
Rabbi Shmuel Dovid Halberstam, , also known as the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe of Borough Park, is the younger son and one of the successors of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, the previous Klausenberger Rebbe...
became the Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe of Brooklyn.
Sanz-Klausenburg today
- Grand Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech HalberstamZvi Elimelech HalberstamZvi Elimelech Halberstam is the present Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe of Netanya, Israel. He is also known as the Sanzer Rebbe. He is the eldest son of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, the first Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, who in his will divided the leadership of the Klausenburger Hasidim between his...
is the Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe in Kiryat Sanz, Netanya, Israel- Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Boruch Halberstam, son of Rabbi Zvi Elimelech, is Rav haTso'ir
- Grand Rabbi Shmuel Dovid HalberstamShmuel Dovid HalberstamRabbi Shmuel Dovid Halberstam, , also known as the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe of Borough Park, is the younger son and one of the successors of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, the previous Klausenberger Rebbe...
, is the Sanz-Klausenbeger Rebbe in Borough ParkBorough Park, BrooklynBorough Park , is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City in the United States....
, BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, USA
The late Rebbe's sons-in-law are:
- Grand Rabbi Shlomo GoldmanShlomo GoldmanShlomo Goldman, also known as the Zvhil-Sanzer rebbe, is the Sanz-Klausenburger Grand Rabbi of Union City, New Jersey, where he resides and is rav of the Sanz-Klausenberger community there....
, the Zhviller Rebbe, of Union CityUnion City, New JerseyUnion City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
, NJ and Rov of the Sanz-Klausenburg community in Union City, N.J. - Rabbi Berel Weiss, Gaon Av Beth Din of the Kiryat Sanz neighborhood of Jerusalem
- Rabbi Fishel Mutzen, Rav of Kiryat Baal Shem Tov in Petah TikvaPetah TikvaPetah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
- Rabbi Shaul Yehuda Prizant, Dayan of the Sanz-Klausenburg community in Union City, New Jersey; and rosh mesivta Yeshivat Shaar Efraim Monsey
- Rabbi Eliezer Duvid Shapiro, Rav of the Sanz community in Bnei Brak
In contrast to the custom among many Rebbes, the Klausenburger Rebbe did not take sons-in-law exclusively from rabbinic families; rather, he chose the best students of his yeshiva to marry his daughters. The only exception was Rabbi Shlomo Goldman
Shlomo Goldman
Shlomo Goldman, also known as the Zvhil-Sanzer rebbe, is the Sanz-Klausenburger Grand Rabbi of Union City, New Jersey, where he resides and is rav of the Sanz-Klausenberger community there....
who is the son of the previous Zhviller Rebbe in Israel.
Other figures in Sanz-Klausenburg are:
- Rabbi Fishel Hershkowitz, the Holeiner Rov, is the Sanz-Klausenburger dayan in Williamsburg
- Rabbi Aaron Weider, the Linzer Rav (d. 2010), was a long-standing dayan of the Sanz-Klausenburger rabbinical court in America. His daughter Tzipora married Grand Rabbi Shmuel Dovid HalberstamShmuel Dovid HalberstamRabbi Shmuel Dovid Halberstam, , also known as the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe of Borough Park, is the younger son and one of the successors of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, the previous Klausenberger Rebbe...
- Rabbi Eliyahu Shmuel Schmerler, rosh yeshiva of the Sanz yeshiva in Kiryat Sanz, Netanya
External links
- The present Klausenburger movement in America
- The website for Sanz Klausenburg Chasidim
- performing a Mitzah Tantz, a ritual dance (Windows Media Audio/Video file)
- The Klausenburger Rebbe of America and his Hasidim celebrating the holiday of Purim (Windows Media Audio/Video file)
- Klausenburg of E. Israel website
- A collection of videos on 'Tzofar Mashtap' website from the Rebbes of Sanz-Klausenburg Hebrew
- A collection of videos on 'Google Video' website from the Rebbes of Sanz-Klausenburg English