Slonim is a

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

originating in the town of

Slonim Slonim is a town in Grodno Region, in western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa (river), Isa rivers, southeast of Grodno. As of 2025, it has a population of ...

, which is now in

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. Today, there are two Slonimer factions. Slonim, based in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, and the Slonim community in

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...

. They are two distinct groups today, and have many differences between them. The first

Rebbe A Rebbe () or Admor () is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spirituality (Audio)''. UCTV, 20 Oct 2011. web. ...

of Slonim, Rabbi Avraham Weinberg (1804–1883), was the author of ''Yesod HaAvodah''. In 1873, he sent a group of his grandchildren and other Hasidim to settle in

Ottoman Palestine The region of Palestine (region), Palestine is part of the wider region of the Levant, which represents the land bridge between Africa and Eurasia.Steiner & Killebrew, p9: "The general limits ..., as defined here, begin at the Plain of ' ...

; they set up their community in

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...

. Almost all of the Slonimer Hasidim in Europe perished at the hands 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 ...

in the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. The present-day Slonimer community was rebuilt from the Slonimer Hasidim who had settled in Israel.

Outline of Slonimer dynasty

Spiritual legacy

* Rabbi Israel

Baal Shem Tov Israel ben Eliezer (According to a forged document from the "Kherson Geniza", accepted only by Chabad, he was born in October 1698. Some Hasidic traditions place his birth as early as 1690, while Simon Dubnow and other modern scholars argue f ...

, founder of

Hasidism Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a Spirituality, spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most ...

:* Rabbi Dov Ber, the

Maggid A maggid (), also spelled as magid, is a traditional Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A chaplain of the more scholarly sort is called a ''Darshan (Judaism), darshan'' (). The title of ''m ...

(Preacher) of

Mezeritch Mezhirichi (; ) is a village in western Ukraine, in the Rivne Raion of Rivne Oblast, but was formerly administered within the Korets Raion. It is located west of Korets and east of Rivne. Local government is administered by Velykomezhyritska vi ...

, disciple of the Baal Shem Tov ::* Rabbi Aaron Hagodol of Karlin,

disciple A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to: Religion * Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ * Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples * Seventy disciples in t ...

of the Maggid ::: Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin, disciple of the Maggid and of Rabbi Aaron Hagodol of Karlin :::* Rabbi

Mordechai of Lechovitch Rabbi Mordechai Jaffe of Lechovitch (1742 – 18 January 1810) was a Hasidic rabbi who was the disciple of Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin and was the founder of the Lechovitch dynasty of Hasidism, from which the , Slonim, Koidanov, and Novominsk courts ...

, disciple of Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin ::::* Rabbi Noah of Lechovitch, son of Rabbi Mordechai :::::* Rabbi Moshe of

Kobrin Kobryn or Kobrin is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Kobryn District. It is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus, where the Mukhavets river and Dnieper–Bug Canal meet. The town lies about e ...

(1784 - 1858), disciple of Rabbi Noah of Lechovitch :::::: Rabbi Avraham of Slonim (1804 - 11 Cheshvan 1883), disciple of Rabbi Noah of Lechovitch and Rabbi Moshe of Kobrin, and first Rebbe of Slonim

Lineage of Slonimer Rebbes

* Rabbi Avraham of Slonim (1804 - 11

Cheshvan Marcheshvan (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard , Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ; from Akkadian language, Akkadian , literally, 'eighth month'), generally shortened to Cheshvan (, Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, S ...

1883), author of ''Yesod HaAvodah'', first Slonmer Rebbe. :* Rabbi Shmuel Weinberg (1850-1916) of Slonim, author of ''Divrei Shmuel'', also known as the "Foter", grandson of the Rabbi Avraham, author of ''Yesod HaAvodah''. ::* Rabbi Yissachar Leib Weinberg of Slonim (1873 - 1928), son of the Rabbi Shmuel, author of ''Divrei Shmuel''. :::* Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel Weinberg of Slonim-

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, son of Rabbi Yissachar Leib. :* Rabbi Noah Weinberg of Slonim and

, grandson of the author of ''Yesod HaAvodah'', brother of the author of ''Divrei Shmuel'', a ''menahel'' of

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 ...

''Or-Torah'' of Tiberias. :* Rabbi Matisyohu of Slonim, grandson of the author of ''Yesod HaAvodah''. ::* Rabbi Avraham Weinberg of Slonim (1884 - 1

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 ...

1933), author of ''Beis Avraham'', son of Grand Rabbi Shmuel. :::* Rabbi Shlomo David Yehoshua Weinberg of Slonim-Baranovitch (1912 – 1943), son of the ''Beis Avraham''. ::::* Rabbi Mordechai Chaim of Slonim-Tiberias, grandson of the ''Yesod HaAvodah'' brother, disciple of the ''Beis Avraham'', successor of Rabbi Shlomo David Yehoshua Weinberg. :::::* Rabbi Avraham Weinberg of Tiberias and Jerusalem (''Rosh Chodesh''

Tammuz Tammuz may refer to: * Dumuzid, Babylonian and Sumerian god * Tammuz (Hebrew month), the 4th month of the Hebrew calendar * Tammuz (Babylonian calendar), a month in the Babylonian calendar * Tammuz 1 or Osirak, formerly a nuclear reactor in Iraq as ...

1889 - 12

Sivan ''Sivan'' (, from Akkadian ''simānu'', meaning "season; time") is the ninth month of the civil year and the third month of the religious year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a month of 30 days. ''Sivan'' usually falls in May–June on the Grego ...

1981), author of ''Birkas Avraham'', son of Rabbi Noah, disciple and nephew of the ''Divrei Shmuel'', successor of Rabbi Mordechai Chaim. IMG-20180219-WA0015

::::::* Rabbi

Sholom Noach Berezovsky Sholom Noach Berezovsky (; August 18, 1911 – August 8, 2000) was the rebbe (hereditary rabbinic leader) of the Slonim (Hasidic dynasty), Slonim dynasty of hasidim from 1981 until his death. His teachings were published as a series of books ...

(1911-2000), Slonimer Rebbe of Jerusalem, author of ''Nesivos Shalom'', son-in-law of the ''Birkas Avraham'' (R Avraham Weinberg). Worked diligently to reestablish Slonimer Hasidus from its small remnants after World War II. Published many Slonimer Hasidic books from original manuscripts and lost documents. :::::::* Rabbi Shmuel Berezovski, author of ''Darchei Noam'', present Slonimer Rebbe of Jerusalem, son of the ''Nesivos Shalom''.

Main Hasidic works of Slonim

In addition to those works revered by all Hasidim, the Slonimer Hasidim particularly revere the following books: ''Yesod HaAvodah'', "Toras Avos", ''Divrei Shmuel'', ''Beis Avraham'', ''Birkas Avraham''. The Slonimer rebbes of Jerusalem have also authored two tremendously popular Hasidic works, ''Nesivos Shalom'', by the previous Slonimer Rebbe of Jerusalem, and ''Darchei Noam'', by the present Slonimer Rebbe of Jerusalem. ''Nesivos Shalom'' is extremely popular even outside of Hasidic circles.

Controversy in Slonim school in Immanuel

Currently, in Israel, there reside approximately 1,900 families that follow the Slonimer Rebbe from Jerusalem.Some 300,000 ultra-Orthodox rally in Israel
/ref> In 2010, a dispute arose in

Immanuel Immanuel or Emmanuel (, "God swith us"; Koine Greek: ) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the House of David. The Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 1:22 –23) interprets this as a prophecy o ...

, a Jewish settlement in the northern

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, over the integration of

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

Slonim girls in a school with

Sephardi Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

girls from non-religious families. Over 120,000

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 () ...

-observant Jews, including

Haredi Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...

and

Dati Leumi Religious Zionism () is a religious denomination that views Zionism as a fundamental component of Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' (), and in Israel, they are most commonly known by the plural form of the fi ...

Jews, rallied in Israel to keep the groups separate, with the fathers of 40 girls being jailed for their refusal to comply. The families insisted it was not a "racial" issue, as 30% of those in the Hasidic track are Sephardic, and three fathers jailed were Sephardic, but, rather, that the "desire to remove their daughters from the influence of those less strict in their religious observance, watching TV at home, having access to the internet, and a more lax dress code among the other track in the school have been cited".

References

External links

''Nesivos Shalom'' in EnglishA Video of the Slonimer Rebbe of Jerusalem at the Western Wall

Lakhovits-Kobrin-Slonim_Hasidic_Dynasty
*
"The Synthesis of Hasidic Pietism with Lithuanian Torah Scholarship in Slonimer Hasidut"
in Immanuel Etkes, "Yeshivot u-Vatei Midrashot" (Jerusalem, Merkaz Shazar, 2006). {{DEFAULTSORT:Slonim (Hasidic dynasty) Hasidic dynasties headquartered in Jerusalem Hasidic Judaism in Belarus Hasidic dynasties of Lithuania Jewish groups in Belarus