Avraham Haim Zagdun

Avraham Haim Zagdun (Hebrew: ) is the leader of a Jewish messianic cult. He has described himself as the Messiah and the spiritual heir of Nachman of Breslov.

Biography

Zagdun was born in Tunisia, 1957 as and immigrated to France with his family as part of the broader wave of North African Jewish emigrations. He grew up in an affluent environment; his family was well-established. In France, his father managed multiple businesses and owned hundreds of properties.

From a young age, Zagdun believed he possessed supernatural powers. As he recounted:

In 1987, upon the birth of their first daughter, Zagdun and his wife decided to immigrate to Israel with their daughter. As of 2015, he was married and had six children.

The cult of Avraham Zagdun

Zagdun is the leader of a fringe, mystically-charged Jewish sect often referred to as the A"Z-niks (from his initials). Considered a charismatic but controversial figure, Zagdun is a cult leader, and spiritual icon to hundreds of followers. The group worships Zagdun, and advertises itself by writing down, on various media the letters ‘‘AZ,’’ — Zagdun’s initials, and the word '' אז'' ("then"), a harbinger of messianic revelation. It has been inscribed or encoded wedding rings, tallit fringes, graffiti across Jerusalem and Netanya, personal names, and spiritual literature. Personality praise songs and videoclips include one calling him "Our Rabbi, Our Master, Our Zagdun, Our savior, Our messiah". At one time it attracted many students from Yeshivat Ma'ale Gilboa. Zagdun has been ostracized by most Braslov Hasidim but managed to garner a small, loyal following in Jerusalem. Some researchers that addressed the Zagdun and the cult include Jonathan Garb, Tomer Persico and Moshe Ratt.

Theology and beliefs

Zagdun's teachings blend Kabbalistic mysticism, messianic undertones, and a stark anti-halakhic or antinomianist stance, often rejecting traditional Jewish law outright. Beliefs include:

* The Torah is spiritually ineffective without the guidance of the "True Tzaddiq"—a role Zagdun implicitly claims.
* Zagdun replaces the Torah.
* The Torah of Zagdun is an "elixir of life," while study of traditional Halakha is "a deadly poison".
* The Tzaddiq symbolizes unity, while in the absence of the Tzaddiq, the Torah and even Kabbalah represent plurality. In practice, the Tzaddiq (Zagdun) here replaces God as the symbol of unity.
* Zagdun's 'New Torah' has messianic significance.
* Zagdun identifies the redemption with the actualization of the divinity that is within man. Since he sees himself as the herald of the true redemption, he is doing self-deification.
* Zagdun reveals the higher Torah (the Torah of redemption), that is, the space between the letters, while others see only the letters themselves. He also teaches that the Tzaddiq is a silent figure who symbolizes the space between the letters rather than the text itself, further reinforcing the assertion that Zagdun is the Tzaddiq.
* Zagdun is the bearer of the "New Torah".
* Torah without Zagdun is like a body without a soul.
* Books radiate spiritual power, even unopened, especially those linked to his teachings. Therefore, it is best to study a book in the presence of multiple copies of the book.
* A renouncement of Rabbinic Judaism, including Sabbath observance, and the study of studying Talmud - which are all superseded by Zagdun's Torah.
* The acronym A"Z (his initials) is sacred
* Zagdun is often referred to by followers as the messiah, but he refuses to openly declare it, instead hinting through cryptic teachings.

Charismatic and rhetorical practices

Zagdun is known for extended silences during lessons, sometimes waiting minutes between words. A family member and former follower described:

Claimed supernatural abilities

Bilocation

Zagdun is known among his followers for recounting various stories that are described as miracles. In one of his sermons, Zagdun claimed to have been seen simultaneously in Netanya and Jerusalem. According to him, none of the listeners questioned the plausibility of this account. "I have no idea how, but I’ve been told this many times", he said, adding that someone once reported seeing him in a forest at night while he was asleep elsewhere.

Knowledge of sacred texts

One of Zagdun’s most remarkable claims is that he possesses direct, intuitive knowledge of Jewish sacred texts, without having studied them traditionally.

Temptation controversy

In the early 2000s, as Zagdun began to gain popularity, a young woman was allegedly sent to tempt him. Over the years, various rumors circulated about him, but this was the only one he publicly acknowledged, admitting that he had "fallen". The revelation had a significant impact, leading many followers to leave his movement and join other Breslov-affiliated communities. As a result, Zagdun and his group became increasingly isolated within the broader Hasidic world.

A former student recalled: "At first, he tried to deny it, but eventually told us someone had drugged his drink, which caused him to lose control of his faculties."

Zagdun later offered a justification: "Is there anyone who hasn’t had a fall? Just as a car involved in an accident isn’t immediately discarded, the same goes for a person. Even Rebbe Nachman said that after someone falls, they can become a complete tzadik ighteous person So I don’t understand how people who claim to follow Rebbe Nachman can ignore one of his most important teachings. In Psalms, it’s written that King David merited that the Messiah would descend from his lineage ''because'' he sinned and admitted his sin."

References

Cited works

*
*
*
* {{Cite news , last=Buchnik , first=Shlomi , date=4 December 2015 , title=תכירו: האדמור א"ז , url=https://shi-webfiles.s3.amazonaws.com/tomer_persico_hebrew_dec2015.pdf , url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250518062510/https://shi-webfiles.s3.amazonaws.com/tomer_persico_hebrew_dec2015.pdf , archive-date=18 May 2025 , access-date=18 May 2025 , work=ידיעות ירושלים , pages=8-12

Jewish messianism
Jewish messiah claimants
Cults of personality
1957 births
Living people