Grand Rabbi Shmuel Shlomo Leiner (1909–1942) was the Radziner Rebbe (the fifth Rebbe of the Izhbitza – Radzin Hasidic dynasty).

Early years

Rabbi Shmuel Shlomo Leiner was born in 1909. He was the son of Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Elazar Leiner, who was the Radziner Rebbe and author of ''Tiferes Yosef''. In 1928 he married Shifra Mirel Kalish, the daughter of Grand Rabbi Yosef Kalish of

Amshinov Amshinov (Yiddish: אמשינאוו) is a dynasty of Hasidic Judaism founded in the town of Mszczonów, Poland, by Yaakov Dovid Kalish, the son of Israel Yitzhak Kalish. Amshinov is a branch of Vurka (Hasidic dynasty), Warka Hasidism, which in ...

who was also the Rabbi of

Ostrów Mazowiecka Ostrów Mazowiecka (; ) is a town in eastern Poland with 23,486 inhabitants (2004). It is the capital of Ostrów Mazowiecka County in Masovian Voivodeship. History Ostrów was granted town rights in 1434 by Duke Bolesław IV of Warsaw. Its name ...

. After his marriage, he lived near his father-in-law.

Radziner Rebbe

In 1929, Rabbi Leiner's father died and he reluctantly agreed to succeed his father as Radziner Rebbe. The Rebbe was greatly respected for his great knowledge of

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

, by many

Litvishe ''Misnagdim'' (, "Opponents"; Sephardi pronunciation: ''Mitnagdim''; singular ''misnaged / mitnaged'') was a religious movement among the Jews of Eastern Europe which resisted the rise of Hasidism in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ''Misna ...

Gedolim ''Gadol'' or ''godol'' (, plural: ''gedolim'' ) (literally "big" or "great" in Hebrew) is used by religious Jews to refer to the most revered rabbis of the generation. Usage The term ''gadol hador'' refers to the "great/est (one of) the generatio ...

, even being at such a young age. Initially, he settled in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

where his father had lived. In 1934 he moved to

Radzyń Podlaski Radzyń Podlaski is a town in eastern Poland, about north of Lublin, with 15,808 inhabitants (2017). The town has been part of the Lublin Voivodeship since 1999, previously it was part of the Biała Podlaska Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the c ...

where he established the Radziner

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

Sod Y'sharim and appointed his brother-in-law (and future successor) Rabbi

Avrohom Yissochor Englard Grand Rabbi Avraham Yissochor Englard of Radzin () was a scion of Radomsk and the Chief Rabbi of Sosnowiec. Chief Rabbi of Sosnowiec After surviving the Holocaust, Englard returned to Sosnowiec Poland where he served as Chief Rabbi for several ...

to oversee it. Prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Sod Y'sharim-Radzin yeshiva grew into a network consisting of 7 yeshivos which were located in various cities throughout Poland.

During the Holocaust

The Rebbe was known for encouraging resistance to the orders of the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

and the

Judenrat A ''Judenrat'' (, ) was an administrative body, established in any zone of German-occupied Europe during World War II, purporting to represent its Jewish community in dealings with the Nazi authorities. The Germans required Jews to form ''J ...

and for urging people to break out of the

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

s, flee to the forests and take up arms. (Although he never made it to the woods himself, his brother-in-law, Rabbi Avraham Yissachor Englard, fled to the forest and joined the partisans with a group of Radziner Chasidim.) The story goes that in his last moments, the Rebbe was wrapped in his father's tallis as a German soldier took him into the

Włodawa Włodawa () is a town in eastern Poland on the Bug River, close to the borders with Belarus and Ukraine. It is the seat of Włodawa County, situated in the Lublin Voivodeship. it has a population of 13,500. Geography The town lies along the borde ...

cemetery at gunpoint. At one point, the Nazi pushed him. The Rebbe turned around, slapped him across the face, and kicked him. This obviously degraded the German greatly, thus stunning him by showing the inner power of the

Jewish people Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

. The Rebbe was immediately shot to death on that day, 29

Iyar Iyar (Hebrew language, Hebrew: or , Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard ''ʾĪyyar'' Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ''ʾĪyyār''; from "Rosette (design), rosette; blossom") is the eighth month of the civil year (which starts on 1 Tishrei ...

5702 (1942). Buried in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leiner, Shmuel Shlomo Rebbes of Izhbitza–Radzin 20th-century Israeli rabbis Polish Hasidic rabbis 1942 deaths People from Krasnystaw County Deaths by firearm in Poland People murdered in Poland People from Radzyń Podlaski County 1909 births Polish Jews who died in the Holocaust

Early years

Radziner Rebbe

During the Holocaust

See also

References