Shaul Shimon Deutsch (born 1966)Tworek, W. (2017). Lubavitch Hasidism. Oxford Bibliographies. is a rabbi and author from

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York.Marcus, Joel. "The once and future Messiah in early Christianity and Chabad." New Testament Studies 47, no. 3 (2001): 381-401. Originally associated with the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic grou ...

Hasidic community, during the mid-1990s, Deutsch attempted to form a breakaway sect and named himself the Liozna Rebbe.Eisenberg, Charles. ''The Book of Daniel: A Well Kept Secret''. Xulon Press. 2007. Page 103. The attempt did not gain popular support and remains a marginal phenomenon in the Chabad Hasidic community. Following his attempt to establish a Hasidic following, Deutsch opened and operated the Living Torah Museum in

Boro Park Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heights to the southwest, Sunset Park to the west, ...

. Deutsch also runs a food charity called Oneg Shabbos.

Biography

Shaul Shimon Deutsch was ordained as a rabbi in a Lubavitch institution and married to Pe'er Deutsch. They have five children. Deutsch is the Rebbe of ''Anshei-Liozna'', a Chasidic court that is centered in Boro Park, Brooklyn. He has been the Liozna Rebbe since 1995. The group appointed him their Rebbe at their synagogue on 45th Street in

. He took the name of the town of

Liozna Liozna ( be, Лёзна, pl, Łoźna, russian: Лиозно, german: Ljesno, yi, ליאזנע ''Lyozne'') is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus, the capital of Liozna District. It is located close to the border with Russia by the Vitebsk-Smolen ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

(where the early Chabad movement was founded). The cause for Deutsch's break from Chabad is also attributed to a biography he wrote covering the early life of Rabbi

Menachem Mendel Schneerson Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Modern Hebrew: מנחם מענדל שניאורסון; old-fashioned spelling: מנחם מענדל שניאורסאהן; April 5, 1902 OS – June 12, 1994; AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to man ...

, the Seventh Rebbe of Chabad. Deutsch's work, despite its lack of professional editing was viewed as groundbreaking for dispelling myths held by Chabad community members concerning the Seventh Rebbe's life. Deutsch's communal activities include: * Living Torah Museum — Deutsch's museum, the Living Torah Museum is based out of two conjoined row houses on 41st Street in Boro Park, Brooklyn. The museum's collection includes hundreds of taxidermy animals referenced in the bible. * Oneg Shabbos — Deutsch also runs a food charity, Oneg Shabbos, that feeds more than 1,000 poor people each week, with dozens of volunteers. The charity distributes $5.5 million of food annually.

Allegations of theft and fraud

Deutsch has been involved in several claims of impropriety regarding his dealings with historical artifacts. Allegations concern potential theft, fraud and forgery involving items purchased by Deutsch or items he put up for auction. * In 2008, Deutsch was accused of by an Israeli antiquities dealer of theft after an alleged reneging of full payment for an ancient artifact. * In 2019, the museum owner was sued for auctioning an artifact without the owner's permission. * In 2022, Chabad community websites alleged that Deutsch forged artifacts and permission notes from the Chana Gurary, the daughter of Joseph Isaac Schneersohn.

Books

*''Larger than life: The life and Times of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Volume 1)'', Shaul Shimon Deutsch, ~ Chasidic Historical Productions 1995 ~ *''Larger than life: The life and Times of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Volume 2)'', Shaul Shimon Deutsch, ~ Chasidic Historical Productions 1997 ~

References

External links

Website of the Living Torah Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deutsch, Shaul Shimon 1966 births American curators Living people Rebbes of Chabad American Hasidic rabbis 21st-century American rabbis Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim Chabad-Lubavitch related controversies