Munkatch (Hasidic Dynasty)

Munkatch (or Munkacs) Hasidism (חסידות מונקטש) is a Hasidic sect within Haredi Judaism of mostly Hungarian Hasidic Jews. It was founded and led by Polish-born Grand Rebbe Shlomo Spira, who was the rabbi of the town of Strzyżów (1858–1882) and Munkacs (1882–1893). Members of the congregation are mainly referred to as ''Munkacs Hasidim'', or ''Munkatcher Hasidim''. It is named after the Czech town in which it was established, Munkatsh (in Yiddish; or in Hungarian: Munkács; today: Mukachevo, in Ukraine).

The largest Munkacs community is in Boro Park, Brooklyn; there are also significant Munkacs communities in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Monsey, New York; and other communities can be found across North America, in Europe, Israel, and Australia.

Lineage of the Munkacs Chasidic Dynasty

Roots

The dynasty traces its roots to Grand Rebbe Zvi Elimelech Spira (1783–1841), rabbi of Munkacs, and later of Dynów in Galicia. Himself an adherent of the Polish Hasidic leader Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin (the ''Chozeh'' of Lublin) and of his uncle, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, author of ''Noam Elimelech'', Rabbi Spira was instrumental in bringing Hasidic Judaism to Hungary. He authored works such as ''Agra D'kala'' and ''Chidushei Mahartza'', and is commonly called by the title of his most famous work ''B'nei Yissaschar'' ("Children of he tribeIssachar", named for the Biblical Issachar, son of Jacob, because he was told by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin that he was a direct descendant of the tribe of Issachar). His descendants became leaders of the communities of Dynów, Poland (called ''Dinov'' in Yiddish), Munkacs, Hungary (now Mukachevo, Ukraine) (called ''Munkatch'' in Yiddish), and Błażowa, Poland (called ''Bluzhev'' in Yiddish) from female descendants the dynasties of Tosh ,Spinka, and Krula also descended . He was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Eluzer Spira of Lanczut, Poland, who was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Shlomo Spira of Munkacs, author of ''Shem Sh'lomo''. He, in turn, was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Spira of Munkacs, author of ''Darkhei T'shuvah''.

Pre-World War II Munkacs

The Rebbe of Munkatch, Grand Rebbe Chaim Elazar Spira, who led the community from 1913 until his death in 1937, was the most outspoken voice of religious anti-Zionism. He had succeeded his father, Grand Rebbe Zvi Hirsh Spira, who had earlier inherited the mantle of leadership from his father, Grand Rebbe Shlomo Spira. Rabbi Chaim Elazar led his community with unsurpassed dignity and drew worldwide respect and honor for Munkács. His keen understanding and vast knowledge in Jewish law and scripture as well as worldly matters drew thousands of people to his home where they sought his advice and blessings. Under his leadership, the Munkács Jewish community grew by leaps and bounds, and at the time of his death in 1937, over half of the town's inhabitants were Jewish. After his death in May 1937, leaving an only daughter, Frima, he was succeeded as rebbe by his son-in-law, Grand Rabbi Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinovich, who led the Munkacs dynasty with much success, until the outbreak of World War II. After World War II, Rabbi Baruch resigned as Rebbe.

Munkacs today

After the Holocaust, the Munkatch dynasty and community was re-established in the United States in Brooklyn, New York, and developed a close affinity with the Satmar Hasidim, who also originated from North-Eastern Hungary (namely Szatmár county, hence the name of the dynasty).

Currently, the Munkacs dynasty is led by the son of Rabbi Baruch, Grand Rebbe Moshe Leib Rabinovich.the role of rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva split following his eldest son Chaim Eleazer coming of age, he is in charge of running the Yeshiva in Borough Park and decides on what is thought and what material is learnt in English. He has been very successful in the Hebrew department and Munkatch's yeshiva has earned prestige and recognition for its students ability to learn Talmud and Jewish law leading to them being the first to allow Litvaks to enter from mostly Lakewood. The Yeshiva finds them housing in community other than the native three hundred native students about fifty of these people have enrolled. Less important to the Jewish world Reb Chaim Eleazar has seen to it to elect more functional secular studies teachers. Although they do not allow college and very basic knowledge is taught exclusively they passed state test with only thirty percent failing unlike Satmar where seventy to eighty percent of boys failed (though they are better than their contemporaries some did better than others) leading to the government to stop funding. But Munkatch on the other hand has not had to deal with this. In addition to all that Chaim Eleazer is heir apparent with his only brother Yerucham Fishel being a very modest figure mostly staying in his shadow he later on became head of the educational institutes in Monsey though he still live in Brooklyn near his father.

The sect's main Brooklyn synagogue, which seats thirteen hundred and which also serves as world headquarters for Munkacs Hasidim, is located in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn. The Hasidic group also boasts a plethora of educational and charitable institutions across the United States, Canada, England, Israel, and Australia.the two communities in Brooklyn (Williamsburg and borough park) have about nine thousand members, the ones in Canada have about five thousand, in the us eight thousand, in Europe proper six hundred,in england eight thousand, in Australia eight hundred,and in Israel ten thousand.pre World War Two it had up eighty thousand members After the dynasty only had a several thousand survivors . It now numbers about twenty to thirty thousand members as of today made up of twenty five hundred families.

Educational institutions

Rabbi Moshe Leib Rabinovich founded a network of large educational institutions, both yeshivas and girls' schools, running from pre-school through high school, as well as post-graduate advanced learning kollels for married men. The girls' schools are called ''Bnos Frima'', and the yeshivas ''Tiferes Bunim''. Munkacs also operates youth summer camps, ''Chaim V'Shalom'', in the Catskill Mountains during the summer months. Three of these camps exist for boys under fifteen. The older boys Yeshiva rent out unofficially various bungalows and cabins for them. Due to limited space the rabbi Moshe Leib founded a learning program for extra boys who are given a talmudic tractate to learn and receive stipend and gifts depending on how well they do on the test. The schools are known for very high quality in depth study of Talmud as apposed to Sanz which learn not in depth and expect the students finish the Talmud before they graduate. They are known to strongly discourage boys from secular jobs which conflict with Jewish law(doctor because of college or where they would be with women)and instead get as many as possible in to the kollel. They dislike hiring litvaks to teach or members of other groups. Thus after kollel the boys often become rabbis in the school. Other than this the community has many ritual scribes and kosher butchers most of whom commute to Kiryas Joel to butcher Satmar meat and the scribes work throughout New York.
This has lead to the sect being in to some degree poorer than others. In a sense that some sects have tremendously rich men who may donate millions to the community, Such as Satmar where boys are expected to earn a big leaving and give back to the community through schools feeding the poor etc. Though on average their men have more stable jobs unlike some groups where almost all families survive on charity or government funding. Three boy’s camps exist in the USA with another for kids in Canada. In total the population enrolled in the various educational institutions exceed seven thousand worldwide.

Publishing

Hotzoas EMES (Hebrew acronym for O'hr T'orah M'unkacs) publishes the works of the rebbes of Munkacs, as well as periodicals on news and subjects of interest to the Munkacs Hasidic community. To date, they have published hundreds of works, which are used by Talmudic scholars around the world.

Spiritual lineage from Baal Shem Tov

*Rebbe Yisrael Baal Shem Tov – founder of Hasidism
**Rebbe Dovber, the Maggid of Mezritch – primary disciple of the Baal Shem Tov
***Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, author of ''Noam Elimelech'' – disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch
****Rebbe Yaakov Yitzchak, the Seer of Lublin, author of ''Zikoron Zos'' – disciple of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk

Dynasty

*Grand Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dynów/Munkatch, author of ''B'nei Yisoschor'', a disciple of the Seer of Lublin
**Grand Rabbi Eleazar Spira of Strzyżów and Łańcut, author of ''Yod'ei Binah'', son of the ''B'nei Yisoschor''
***Grand Rabbi Shlomo Spira of Strzyżów and Munkatch, author of ''Shem Sh'lomo'', son of the ''Yod'ei Binah''
****Grand Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Spira of Munkatch, author of ''Darkhei T'shuvah'', son of the ''Shem Sh'lomo''
*****Grand Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira of Munkatch, author of ''Minchas El'azar'', son of the ''Darkhei T'shuvah''
******Grand Rabbi Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinovich, son-in-law of the ''Minchas El'azar''
*******Grand Rabbi Moshe Leib Rabinovich, son of Rebbe Baruch, current Munkatcher Rebbe

References

Hasidic dynasties
Jewish Hungarian history
Hasidic anti-Zionism

yi:מונקאטש

External links

Religious Life in Munkács Before the Holocaust

Complete Collection of the works of the Rebbes of Munkacs

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