Pittsburgh is a
Hasidic
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
dynasty founded in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
in 1924 by Rabbi
Yosef Leifer, a Hungarian rabbi and descendant of Rabbi
Mordechai of Nadvorna
Mordechai Leifer (or Läufer) (1824–1894) was a rabbi in Nadvirna, Ukraine.
Biography
Leifer was the son of Rabbi Yesochor Bertche Leifer (d. 1848), author of ''Sisrei Torah'', and a great-great-grandson of Rabbi Meir "The Great" of Premishlan ...
. This is one of the few Hasidic dynasties named after an American city (others are
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
and Philadelphia).
After flourishing in America for 46 years, the Hasidut was relocated to the Israeli coastal city of
Ashdod
Ashdod ( he, ''ʾašdōḏ''; ar, أسدود or إسدود ''ʾisdūd'' or '' ʾasdūd'' ; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃 *''ʾašdūd'') is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterran ...
under the leadership of Rabbi Yosef Leifer's son and successor, Rabbi
Avraham Abba Leifer. The Hasidut was led by Rabbi Avraham Abba's son, Rabbi
Mordechai Yissachar Ber Leifer, who died Chol Hamoed Succos 2020, presided over a nucleus of about 100 Pittsburgher families in Ashdod as well as families in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
,
Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...
,
Beit Hilkia,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
Owing to the small size of the Hasidut, each member had a personal relationship with the Rebbe and Rebbetzin, who spoke
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
,
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
and
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
.
Torah institutions
When Rabbi Avraham Abba Leifer moved the Hasidut to the Israeli city of Ashdod in 1970, the city had hardly any Orthodox residents and no Torah schools, aside from the
Grodno Yeshiva
Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah – Grodna, often referred to as the Grodna Yeshiva or simply as Grodna, was an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva in the Belarusian city of Grodno, then under Russian rule. Founded during World War I, Shimon Shkop became rosh ye ...
for high-school-age boys. Thanks to the decades-long efforts of Rabbi Avraham Abba and his son and successor, Rabbi Mordechai Yissachar Ber, Pittsburgh now operates a
cheder
A ''cheder'' ( he, חדר, lit. "room"; Yiddish pronunciation ''kheyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.
History
''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th ...
with over 300 students, two yeshivas with 90 students, and several
kollel
A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...
s for married men. The Hasidut has also attracted formerly non-observant Jews through the Rebbe's ''
shiurim
Shiur (, , lit. ''amount'', pl. shiurim ) is a lecture on any Torah topic, such as Gemara, Mishnah, Halakha (Jewish law), Tanakh (Bible), etc.
History
The Hebrew term שיעור ("designated amount") came to refer to a portion of Ju ...
'' (classes), ''
tishen'' and personal interaction.
Pittsburger families are concentrated in ''Rova Gimmel'' (the third quarter) of Ashdod.
Niggunim
Pittsburgh is famous for its heartfelt ''
niggunim'', many of which were composed by the second and third Pittsburgher Rebbes. These melodies are known throughout the world and are even sung at the
tishen of other Rebbes. One of the most famous is the tune for ''Ilan, Ilan, Bameh Avarechecha'' ("Tree, tree, with what can I bless you?"), which was written by the second Pittsburgher Rebbe and first sung by the Rebbe at a
brit milah
The ''brit milah'' ( he, בְּרִית מִילָה ''bərīṯ mīlā'', ; Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazi pronunciation: , "Covenant (religion), covenant of circumcision"; Yiddish pronunciation: ''bris'' ) is Religion and circumcision, the cerem ...
ceremony in
Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...
on
Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh ( he, ראש חודש; trans. ''Beginning of the Month''; lit. ''Head of the Month'') is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the birth of a new moon. It is considered a minor h ...
Nisan
Nisan (or Nissan; he, נִיסָן, Standard ''Nīsan'', Tiberian ''Nīsān''; from akk, 𒊬𒊒𒄀 ''Nisanu'') in the Babylonian and Hebrew calendars is the month of the barley ripening and first month of spring. The name of the month is ...
1977 — the first day of the month in which Jews traditionally recite a blessing over fruit trees. A fascinating story in connection with the ''niggun'' and the baby at the bris was printed in the English
Hamodia
''Hamodia'' ( he, המודיע – "''the Informer''") is a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in Jerusalem. A daily English-language edition is also published in the United States, and weekly English-language editions in England and Israe ...
newspaper in 2006.
The very popular tune known throughout the Jewish world, including in non-Orthodox synagogues, for "''Yismechu HaShamayim''" is also a Pittsburger ''niggun'', composed by the first Pittsburgher Rebbe.
Rebbes of Pittsburgh
#
Yosef Leifer, the ''Tzidkas Yosef'' (1891–1966)
#
Avraham Abba Leifer (1918–1990)
#
Mordechai Yissachar Ber (1955–2020)
#
Meshulam Eliezer Leifer (1979– )
See also
*
History of the Jews in Pittsburgh
The history of the Jews in Pittsburgh dates back to the mid-19th century. In 2002, Jewish households represented 3.8% of households in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. As of 2017, there were an estimated 50,000 Jews in the Greater Pittsburgh area ...
Notes
External links
Video Clips of the Pittsburgher RebbeVideo of the Pittsburgher Rebbe during the HolidaysThe Rebbe on HanukkahThe Rebbe on the Jewish holidaysThe Rebbe visiting a yeshiva in AmericaThe Rebbe visiting QueensThe Rebbe dedicating a new Torah scroll to the memory of his father, the previous Rebbe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pittsburgh (Hasidic dynasty)
Ashdod
Hasidic dynasties
Hasidic Judaism in Israel
Hasidic Judaism in the United States
Jews and Judaism in Pittsburgh