David Twersky (New Square)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| David Twersky (New Square) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Skverer Rebbe | ||
 |
||
| Grand Rabbi David Twersky of New Square | ||
| Term | April, 1968 – present | |
| Full name | David Twersky | |
| Born | 1940 | |
| Iaşi | ||
| Dynasty | Skver | |
| Predecessor | Yakov Yosef Twersky | |
| Father | Yakov Yosef Twersky | |
| Wife | Chana Hager | |
Grand Rabbi David Twersky (b. 1940) is the spiritual leader of the village of New Square in New York and of Skverer Hasidim worldwide. He is the son of Grand Rabbi Yakov Yosef Twersky (1900-1968), whom he succeeded in 1968.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Twersky was born in Iaşi, Romania in 1940, and moved with his family to Bucharest in 1945 at the end of World War II. In 1947 he was brought with his family to the United States, where they settled in Borough Park and later in Williamsburg in Brooklyn. His father, Rabbi Yakov Yosef Twersky, was known as a saintly man, a pious ascetic, who soon attracted followers seeking his counsel in his small home and synagogue in Williamsburg.
The elder Twersky, deeply concerned over what he deemed to be decadent morals in their new home country, established the all-Hasidic village of New Square in rural Rockland County, to which he and his family moved in 1957.
At the age of 18 David married Chana Hager, the elder daughter of the present Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak, Israel, Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Hager. They settled in Twersky's home village of New Square, New York.
[edit] As leader
In April 1968, following his father's death, Twersky assumed the leadership of New Square and of Skverer Hasidim worldwide.
His influence in the Jewish world has gained steadily, and he is now recognized by many as one of the foremost communal leaders of Orthodox Jewry in the U.S. His counsel is sought by Hasidim and non-Hasidim alike.
Unusual for a traditional Hasidic rebbe, he is fluent in English and Hebrew, besides his native Yiddish.
[edit] Political influence
As in most Hasidic communities, the community in New Square tends to exercise its voting power as a bloc under Twersky's guidance. Twersky and his aides meet frequently with public officials, serving as liaisons for the community and its needs. Many public officials have held publicized visits to New Square, including Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, George Pataki, Andrew Cuomo, and others.
In 2000, Twersky met with then-President Bill Clinton and managed to attain commutations for the criminal sentences of four Hasidic Jews, who had been convicted of defrauding the government of millions of dollars to benefit the educational institutions of New Square.
[edit] Lineage
Twersky traces his lineage as the nearest descendant of the Ba'al Shem Tov alive today. He is also the nearest living descendant of the Ba'al Shem Tov's disciple Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl. The latter lineage is one of unbroken patrilineal descent.
Lineage from Ba'al Shem Tov:
- Ba'al Shem Tov
- Rabbi Tzvi
- Rabbi Aaron of Tituv
- Rabbi Tzvi of Tituv (Hershele Skverer)
- Chana Sima (married Rabbi Yitzchak Twerski of Skvira)
- Rabbi David Twersky of Skvira
- Rabbi Yakov Yosef Twersky, previous Rebbe of Skver
- Rabbi David Twersky, present Rebbe of Skver
Lineage from Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl:
- Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky of Chernobyl
- Rabbi Mordechai Twersky of Chernobyl
- Rabbi Yitzchak Twersky of Skvira
- Rabbi David Twersky of Skvira
- Rabbi Yakov Yosef Twersky, previous Rebbe of Skver
- Rabbi David Twersky, present Rebbe of Skver
