Chaim Zanvl Abramowitz ( yi, , he, חיים זנוויל אברהמוביץ, born 1902 – died 18 October 1995) was known as the ''Ribnitzer Rebbe'' (), and considered a great

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 ...

tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

'' from Rybnitsa (present-day

Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnist ...

). Others, including singer Mordechai Ben David, who was one of the rabbi's close disciples, maintain that he was born in 1893, making him 102 at the time of his passing. Abramowitz was a prominent follower of Rabbi Avrohom Matisyohu of

Shtefanesht Shtefanesht ( he, שטפנשט) was a Hasidic dynasty named for the town of Ștefănești, Romania. It was one of the branches of the Ruzhiner dynasty, together with Bohush, Boyan, Chortkov, Husiatyn, and Sadigura. The dynasty lasted from 185 ...

. He managed to live a fully Jewish religious life even under

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

's rule. He served as ''

mohel A ( he, מוֹהֵל , Ashkenazi pronunciation , plural: , arc, מוֹהֲלָא , "circumciser") is a Jew trained in the practice of , the "covenant of circumcision". Etymology The noun ( in Aramaic), meaning "circumciser", is derived ...

'' and '' shochet''. He often fasted and immersed himself many times daily in water that was sometimes only accessible by chopping away very thick ice. His '' Tikkun Chatzos'' (midnight prayer service) in sackcloth and ashes regularly lasted 6–7 hours, sometimes stretching as long as 12. He cried so much during ''Tikkun Chatzos'' that when he was done, the tears and ashes mingled so that he was sitting in mud. Abramowitz left the Soviet Union in 1970 and moved to the Mattersdorf section of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, where he lived for a few years before moving to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. He lived in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, and

Sea Gate, Brooklyn Sea Gate is a private gated community at the far western end of Coney Island at the southwestern tip of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Located on the portion of the Coney Island peninsula west of West 37th Street, it contains mostly ...

, before he finally settled in

Monsey, New York Monsey (, yi, מאנסי, translit=Monsi) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Airmont, east of Viola, south of New Hempstead, and west of Spring Valley. ...

, where he died on ''

Isru Chag English translation: 'Bind the Festival' , observedby = Jews in Judaism , begins = The night immediately following the Three Pilgrimage Festivals , ends = At nightfall of the day following the Three Pilgrimage Festivals , observances = Minor: Most ...

'' (''Succos''). He was believed to be 92 or 93 years old. He is buried in the Vizhnitzer Cemetery. Nearly 30,000 people visited his gravesite on his 23rd yahrtzeit.

References

External links

Profile
; accessed 22 June 2017.
Video of The Ribnitzer saying sheva brachos
mahnishmah.com; accessed 22 June 2017. * Jungreis, Esther
"There Are No Accidents ... "A story is told about the Ribnitzer Rebbe..."
hineni.org; accessed 22 June 2017.

the3ms.co.uk; accessed 22 June 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Abramowitz, Chaim Zanvl 1902 births 1995 deaths People with acquired American citizenship People from Monsey, New York Hasidic rebbes Romanian Orthodox rabbis American Hasidic rabbis Hasidic rabbis in Europe Moldovan Orthodox rabbis Ukrainian Hasidic rabbis American people of Romanian-Jewish descent American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Soviet emigrants to Israel Israeli emigrants to the United States Israeli Hasidic rabbis People from Botoșani Transnistrian people People from Sea Gate, Brooklyn Mohalim