Klausenburg (Hasidic dynasty)

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The Sanz-Klausenburg Logo

This article below discusses the Klausenburger Hasidim, specifically the Sanz-Klausenburger dynasty that began with Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam and presently the two movements in Israel and America. For information on the original Sanz dynasty founded by Rabbi Chaim of Sanz please see the article Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)

Klausenburg, Kloizenburg, also known as Sanz-Klausenburg, is a Hasidic dynasty that is from the Transylvanian city of Klausenburg (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania). At the behest of the previous Rebbe the Sanz-Klausenburg Hasidim split into two separate movements. One is located in Borough Park, New York and the other Kiryat Sanz, Netanya, Israel. They also have a modest following in Jerusalem, and in Union City, New Jersey.

1 Outline of Sanz-Klausenberg's Hasidic rabbinical lineage
2 The Late Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe
3 Sanz-Klausenburg Today
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Outline of Sanz-Klausenberg's Hasidic rabbinical lineage

Grand Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer (The Baal Shem Tov) (1698-1760), founder of Hasidism.
Grand Rabbi Dov Ber (1710-1772), the Maggid of Mezritch; disciple of the Baal Shem Tov.
Grand Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk (1717-1786), author of Noam Elimelech; disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch.
Grand Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Horowitz of Ropshitz (1760-1827), author of Zera Kodesh; disciple of the Noam Elimelech.
Grand Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (1793-1876), author of Divrei Chaim; disciple of Rabbi Naftali Tzvi of Ropshitz.
Grand Rabbi Baruch Halberstam of Gorlitz (1829-1906), son of the Divrei Chaim
Grand Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Halberstam of Rudnik (1851-1918), son of Rabbi Baruch of Gorlitz
- Grand Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam of Sanz-Klausenberg (1904-1994), author of Divrei Yetziv, son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Rudnik
  - Grand Rabbi Zvi Elimelech Halberstam of Sanz-Klausenberg, present Klausenberger Rebbe of Netanya, Israel, son of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah
  - Grand Rabbi Shmuel Dovid Halberstam of Sanz-Klausenberg, present Klausenberger Rebbe of the Boro Park section of Brooklyn, NY, son of Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah

[edit] The Late Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe

The dynasty was founded by Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam in 1927. Rabbi Halberstam was a scion of the Sanz dynasty (named after Neusandez) founded by Rabbi Chaim of Sanz who was Rabbi Halberstam's great-grandfather. Rabbi Halberstam grew up in a small town close to Sanz and was known as an excellent scholar. In 1927, he was offered to lead the community of Klausenburg. He gladly accepted. From then until World War II the Klausenburger Rebbe, as he began to be called, enjoyed a happy life. He had a great many young followers and a great number of Sanz Hasidim began to follow the young Rebbe. As a result of the Holocaust almost the entire community was destroyed. Approximately 15% survived the Holocaust, including the Rebbe who had lost his wife and eleven children. Though it had been the Klausenburger Rebbe’s wish to move to Israel, he felt that he would be needed more in America and emigrated there in 1947.

The Rebbe began a wide scale movement to increase Jewish observance. He founded many Jewish day schools and institutions of higher learning. He launched revolutionary programs for comprehensive study of the Talmud. He created a program called Mifal HaShas, in which students would master thirty folios of the Talmud in one month. His influence permeated areas as far as Canada, Mexico, and Israel.

The Rebbe wrote a commentary on the Bible called Divrei Yetziv.

In the 1950s, the Rebbe finally was able to get his wish to move to Israel. He emigrated there and founded the Kiryat Sanz community. The community is well known for its hospital, the Laniado Hospital which is famous for its excellent service abiding strictly to Halakha. They are also famous for their so called “Haredi beach”, it being one of the few places that has separate beaches for men and women. When the Rebbe died in 1994, he had over 200,000 people at his funeral. This was not anticipated by the police, even after warnings from the Hasidim, causing the entire city of Netanya to shut down for one day.

[edit] Sanz-Klausenburg Today

Rabbi Shmiel Duvid Halberstam Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe of USA

Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Halberstam Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe of Israel

Before he died the Klausenburger Rebbe requested of his two sons (both born after WWII) to each preside over one section of the Hasidic movement at to develop into distinct entities. His request was followed.

His older son, Grand Rabbi Zvi Elimelech Halberstam currently is the Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe in Kiryat Sanz, Netanya, Israel;

His younger son, Grand Rabbi Shmuel Dovid Halberstam, is the Sanz-Klausenbeger Rebbe in Borough Park, Brooklyn, USA.

Both are accomplished and well respected Rebbes in the Hasidic community.

The late rebbes sons-in-law are:

Grand Rabbi Shlomo Goldman, the Zhviller Rebbe, in Union City, N.J.;

Rabbi Berel Weiss, Rav of the Sanz community in Jerusalem;

Rabbi Fishel Mutzen, Rav of Kiryat Baal-Shem-Tov (Petach-Tikva);

Rabbi Shaul Yuda Prizant, (Dayan of the Sanz Klausenburg community in Union City NJ & R"M Yeshivat Sanz Brooklyn;

Rabbi Eliezer Duvid Shapiro, Rav of the Sanz community in Bnei-Barak.

Unlike the custom among Hasidic Rebbes, the Klausenburger Rebbe did not take sons-in-law from Rabinic families; rather, he chose the best students of his yeshiva to marry his daughters. The only exception being Rabbi Shlomo Goldman who is the son of the previous Zhviller Rebbe in Israel.

Other figures in Sanz Klausenburg: