They wear kippot serugol under t lieir shtreimels,

gartels over jeans or army fatigues. They are

chassidim of the Pashkaner Rebbe, a sixth-
generation descendant of Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin
and husband of Rebbetzin Tziporah - daughter
of the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz. WhileGilo isnt
exactly Bnei Brak, Rav Yisrael Friedman, who's
straddled many worlds in his 91 vears, believes hc s
V */ J
been able to bridge major gaps in Klal Yisrael
BY Aryeh Ehrlich
Pt!UTC Chaim Pozenrouch Vcav tiuJktvitcb
Legacy of Many Threads
11 Elul Tish Thursday night, 10 EIuI5774
That end-of-summer scent drifts through the evening air
in the definitely 1111-ehassidic southern Jerusalem neigh-
borhood of Gilo. The large building at the bend in the road
beckons with its light, as I step inside to a perfectly-set reb
bishe table, two flames flickering atop a pair of silver can-
dlesticks. A silver goblet with a rounded cup and slender leg
stands prominently in the center of the table. The chassidim
in their gartels focus on one person.
At the head of the table sits the Rebbe, the son-in-law of the
Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz and a sixth-generation descendant
of Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin. His eyes are closed and his right
hand covers his forehead, in the customary posture of the
dynasty. An elegant fur kolpik testifies to the dynasty of Ru-
zhin. Behind him sits his son, a brigadier general i n the IDF,
with agartel wrapped around his waist. Alongside him are
the Rebbes grandsons, students in various hesderyeshivos,
with matching kolpiks.
Absolute silence reigns in the room. Now Brigadier General
Hoshea Friedman begins to hum Kah zechus avosyagein
aleinu. The chassidim join in. The singing grows louder, the
lyrics emerging in the clear, fluent Hebrew of native Israelis.
The chassidim sway gently back and forth. The voices are like
those of Bnei Brak chassidim, but their appearance marks
them as religious Zionists from Gilo.
Am I hallucinating?
2
The Rebbe of Pashkan unites his crowd
at a recent tish. "There's a trend toward
chassidus and that's a big thing"
Out of the Limelight Its two weeks
later, and I cant shake the vision from my
head. I'mcompelled to find out more about
this tish Ive visited, a scene reminding me
of tzaddikim who are pictured in all sorts of
settings, transcending time and space. And
so I make my way to amodest house in Gilo,
behind apastoral row of trees and next door
to agateemblazoned with abeware of dog
sign. Herelives the Rebbeof Pashkan, a crown
prince of the Ruzhiner dynasty and leader of
the only Zionist chassidic court in history.
While the population around here is varied,
chances arethat none of the residents fathom
the twin flames whose joint firebums in this
house: the dynasties of Ruzhin and Vizhnitz.
I knock. Rebbetzin Tziporah, the youngest
child of Rav Chaim Meir of Vizhnitz, opens
the door politely. In European-accented
Yiddish, she asks what I want. I note the
Welcome back, Savta signs posted on the
door: apparently, shesjust returned from a
visit to her one surviving brother, the Yizh-
nitzer Rebbe ofMonsey, whose hashkafah is
far removed from her own. Later I will learn
that the close sibling bond has managed to
overcome the heated differences.
TheRebbetzin invites me inside. Thewalls
arecovered with photos of the patriarchs of
the dynasties: Rav Chaim Meir Hager, the
Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz; his father-in-law,
RavZev, of Rachmistrivka; RavYitzchak
Friedman of Bohush; the Ahavas Yisrael
of Vizhnitz; and more. In the living room. I
find Rav Yisrael Friedman, Rebbe of Pash-
kan, absorbed in a sefer. Despite his age,
the Pashkaner Rebbe is clear-minded and
103 MI S HP ACHA
Legacy of Many Threads
m
J B j
1
|Tve never given an interview to the media.
*s a very important principle for me.
My holy forebears have always stayed
far awa m publicity
2fl
J
of our ancestors, therewere, relatively speak-
ing, many more chareidim than in the past,
There has been progress.
And so I settle into a chair, to hear the Reb-
betzins account of their unusual life path,
sprinkled with occasional comments and
stories from her eminent husband.
Beneath the Ilebbes Chair Rav Yis-
rael Friedman was born in 1923 in the Roma-
man town of Bohush. Heis a sixth-generation
descendent of Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin, and a
ninth generation descendant of the Mezriteh-
er Maggid a direct ben achar ben of both.
His father, Rav Yitzchak Friedman, was
not a rebbe. But the name of his grandfather
on his mothers side, Rav Menachem Men-
del of Bohush, spread far and wide through
Romania as a wonder-working rebbe. The
holy grandfather and his grandson became
extremely close. Historians relate that the
current Pashkaner Rebbewas groomed to
become arebbefromaveryyoungage.Apri-
vatc melamed, Reb YaakovMordcchai, known
as the rebbes rebbi in Ruzhin, was hired to
teach him. The melameds first student was
Rav Yaakov Friedman ofHusyatin. Anoth-
er student was Reb Menachem Nachum of
Itzkan, while the last one v/3s,ybdlch"t, Rav
Yisrael Friedman, the Rebbewho is reviving
the Ruzhiner dynasty in the national-reli-
gious community.
Though he was a sickly child, the Rebbere-
calls an enchanted childhood. I remember
my childhood as a magical tale of parks and
birds,heoften says. Itwas a wonderful youth
filled with learning and chassidus, whose
astute. His demeanor is reminiscent of the
royalty of Ruzhin; noble, disciplined. His
voice is deep, his words clearly enunciated,
his forceful tone belying his 90-plus years.
He looks at me, asks the Rebbetzin to bring
some refreshments from the kitchen, and
then asks the purpose of my visit.
I introduce myself. The Rebbe listens in-
tently, careful not to interrupt until I've
completed my request for an interview. The
Rebbetzin shoots a question ng look at her
husband.
To tell you the truth,he says, Ive never
given aninterviewto the media. Its a very im-
portant principle for me. My holy forebears
have always stayed far away from publicity,
as if it were fire. But if the Rebbetzin agrees
to speak, I would not object.
I ask if I may return that night to continue
the conversation. "My door is always open,
the Rebbe replies with a smile.
Upon my return, the Rebbe greets me
warmly, reiterating that any insights or mem-
ories he will offer during our conversation
should not be understood as an official in-
terview. He considers publicity to be atool of
theyetzerhara. "Part of our siyata dShmaya
comes from staying out of the limelight," he
tells me.
I suggestthat in this case, the benefits might
outweigh the costs: This is an opportunity to
forgeconnection s between different commu-
nities and bridge amajor gap in Klal Yisrael.
"That is a connection you can find here,
bchasdeiHashemthe Rebbesays in a Roma-
man-spiced Yiddish. "At the last tish, which
was a combined yahrtzeit seudah for several
Rav Yisrael and Rebbetzin Tziporah
might have lived an unconventional life
according to their chassidus, but they're
forever connected to their forebears.
(From top) The Ahavas Yisrael of
Vizhnitz, the Rebbetzin's father the Imrei
Chaim, and the Bohusher Rebbe
104 MI S HP A C HA
Legacy of Many Threads
Every Friedman chassan,
no matter what he wears
underneath, dons the famous
Ruzhiner shtreimelfor his
wedding and sheva brachos;
(Inset) Brigadier-General
Rabbi Hoshea Friedman
Pashkan, there was great joy in Grosswardein,
Transylvania. It was 1927, and a daughter
named Tziporah had beenborn to Rav Chaim
Meir Hager, known as the Imrei Chaim. He
was the son and eventual successor of Rav
Yisrael of Vizhnitz.
In Rebbetzin Tziporah Hagersmemories,
those childhood years a lull between two
world wars ,were a beautiful time for the
Vizhnitzer court. Little Tziporah was affec-
tionately callcd Poikenyuby her grand-
father, the Ahavas Yisrael of Vizhnitz, who
loved her deeply. She was musically talented
and picked up the Vizhnitz nusach tefillah for
the Yamim Noraim. "When she was a small
girl,relatives related, the Ahavas Yisrael
would sometimes ask her to sing to him cer-
tain parts of the Vizhnitzer nusach.
Thefamily also relates that beforethe Yam-
im Xoraim or an upcoming simchah at the
impressions influencehis lifeto this day. Until
I was seven, I'd receive a day-old-la mb on my
birthday, as a segulah for shemimh during the
upcoming year. I would raise the lamb until
my next birthday. On my birthday the Iamb,
which had becomc a ram by then, was taken
and slaughtered and the meat was distributed
to the poor. I used to get very upset because I
had become attached to the animal. But then
they would bring me a new one.
Already then, the trajectory of his life was
different from that of the other princes of
the dynasty. In addition to acquiring Torah
knowledge from Reb Yaakov Alordechai, he
was assigned privateinstructors to tcach him
languages and science. When he grew older,
he traveled to Bacat:, Romania, to be tested
on his general knowledge, and later earned
a doctorate.
Three years after the birth of the prince of
106 MI S HP ACHA

We were barefoot,
like (jenl He jam / \ \ omen.
They saw our white feet and
began to laugh No farm
woman had feet like that
court, Vizhnitz court composer Reb Xissan would compose a new
tune, and would practice it together with the kappelyah, the chassidic
choir, ,'Our mother would hide in the room during the rehearsal,her
children relate, learn the song and then run to sing it for her grand-
father, the Ahavas Yisrael. Reb Xissan would get upset because the
new song was supposed to be a secret. But the Zeide just laughed.
That wasnt the only time she hid. Our mother had a hiding place
where no one could find her, under the armchair of the Ahavas Yisrael,
in the reception room,her children tell me. "They would ask her to
stay there when women would come to the Rebbefor brachos, to make
sure there were no issues ufyichud, Sheheard a lot about the trials and
tribulations of women at the time, and how the Ahavas Yisrael would
encourage and bless them. Shewas very attached to him.
Now We Must Part I askRebbetzin Tziporah if she remembers
her brother, later to become the Yeshuos Moshe the previ ous Vizh-
nitzer Rebbe, who was niftar in 2012 as being unusually diligent. Of
course, she says. "Fromthe time he was very young he was unique.
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d
Tomorrownight is Rosh Hashanah. Do you remeni-
ber your fathers nusach?I ask. ;
Yes, Tremember,she says. "I live with it all the time.
But I cant sing it for men... j
I wonder aloud how a young girl acquired such an ex-
tensive knowledge of the Vizhnitzer nusach. The answer,
it turns out, is simple: little Tziporah didnt miss a single
tefillah in Grosswardein.
lb this day, wherever I am, I always sing the Vizhnitzer
niggunim,* she says, "Id remember howl used to standin
the ladies' section with my mother, Rebbetzin Margulis.
She was something specialthe daughter of Rav Zevof
Rachmistrivka, who was the gaon of the generation. She
was an exceptional person. She gavetzedakdh and took
careof all the chassidim who would come to him for Yom
Tov. She had an outstanding personality.
And did she adapt to the Vizhnitzer nusach hatefillah?
Tm not sure,Rebbetzin Tziporah muses. After all,
her father had his own nusach. I can't know that because &
she never davened out loud. And we didnt ask her. These K
things are personal.
Do you remember the passing of the Ahavas Yisrael?
"Certainly. I was a big girl already.
"Wereyou there when it happened?
"Whats the question? When my grandfather passed
away, my fathertook me withhim. It happened on Friday
night and the levayah took placeon Motzaei Shabbos. He
took me when my grandfather was already on the floor.
He stood beside the body and said tearfully, Weve never
separated, and now we must part/ 1
Tears fill Rebbetzin Tziporah Friedmans eyes when
she recalls this moment one of the most poignant
memories she has.
My father tookhis father'spassingvery hard. My father
was one of the smartest Yidden, one ofthe chachamim of
his generation. He was so wise for having taken me. He
wanted to mold me. It is a memory that never leaves me.
1.
White Feet Following the passing of his father in 1936,
Rav Chaim Meir took on the mantle of leadership. But
just a fewyears later, the skies of Transylvania began to
darken; the Nazi boot was drawing closer to the tranquil
Vizhnitzer hoif and the court began to shake.
My father was taken to the labor camps, Rebbetzin
Friedman says of the Imrei Chaim. Themen in his camp
were assigned to chop trees in the forest. On Shabbos,
they bribed the guards and he stayed back in the camp for
Quality is our only ingredient
4 Burst Of Flavor
M
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D
l
A
u
n
i
Whole Grains &
a minyan instead of going out to chop trees. Those evil
creatures would always conduct aktions on Shabhos, but
my father remained with a minyan in the camp. So one
Shabbos, when they conducted an aktion targeting the
J ews of Grosswardein, he was in the camp. Theguards
didnt make an issue out of it, and his life was saved.
The Rebbetzin remembers the faces and names of
dozens of her relatives, primarily cousins, who did not
make it out alive. She real izes that few other families
were as fortunate as her own; miraculously, the Imrei
Chaim managed to smuggle all of his children out of
the war zone.
Tziporah, who was 17at the time, escaped in the guise
of a Hungarian farm woman. "The gentile who smug-
gled us out took us to a tavern and threw us there and
ran away. Wewere barefoot, like gentile farm women.
But the people saw our white feet and began to laugh.
No fa rm woman had feet 1ike that. We were afraid
they would turn us in, But ultimately we reached our
destination. My fatherschassidim in Arad had gotten
a message that I reached the Romanian border. They
took us to Arad, and then to Bucharest.
"Where were your siblings at the time?
"Reb Moishele [theYeshuos Moshe] was already in
Eretz Yisrael. Reb Mottel (ofVizhnitz-ilonseyl had es-
caped with our mother. Sheva [Sheva BrachaErnster]
remained with my father in the ghetto, and he refused
to escape. But Sheva helped to smuggle out Hinda [Ad-
ler] with her two daughters, Ruchelle [Berezovsky, the
Slonimer Rebbetzin ah, the wife of the Rebbe shlitai
and Minka'le.
"Can you describe your reunion with your father in
Romania after the war?
I haveno words to describeit, because my father was
a person with so much love, for every Jew, how much
more so for his Yidden.
Do you remember something he said at the reunion?
He said what we say to all Jews; everyone says the
same thing. Wewerent privileged characters. In Ro-
mani a, we were refugees, plain and simple.
T he Survivors Thestory of the Pashkaner Rebbes
escapc from the Nazis is also remarkable.
At the beginning of the war, he was drafted into the
pro-Nazi Romanian army. During the Yamim Nor-
aim of1942, he was sent to serve as a chazzan for the
J ewish soldiers there. The rabbinical semichah he had
'2 Tishrei E775 0 ; obe14^2 ,6

Ge f e N
Quality is our only ingredient
____
Legacy of Many Threads
uncles minyan or in the nearby Vizhnitzer
minyan, I decided to go to the Vizhnitzer
minyan. ThereI would hear the Imrei Chaim
davcningforthe amud
You might say it was the Vizhnitzer nusach
otefillah that brought the couple together,
because this was where his first encounter
with the Rebbetzin occurred.
The Pashkaner Rebbe remembers it well:
"The Vizhnitzer chassidim didnt daven in a
shul, but in a large hall. The door was closed.
The Imrei Chaim saw me approaching from
the window and sent his daughter Tziporah
to open the door for me.
"Until then I didnt even knowthat my fu-
ture husband existedthe Rebbetzin says.
In retrospect, did you realize that hed
intentionally asked her to do it?I ask Rav
Yisrael.
There are some things that remain hid-
den,he answers.
Another family member adds: In Bucha-
rest, the newly arrived rebbes had atradition
of paying visits to the rebbes who'd been there
received at the age of 17impressed the Ro-
manians and would ultimately be one of the
keys to his salvation; it allowed him to serve
in a less dangerous posting for the duration
ofthewaryears.
At the end of the war he, like his futurewife,
came to Bucharest, a haven for many of the
regions refugees. His grandfather, RavMoishe
YehudaLeib of Pashkan, the elder Rebbeof the
dynasty at the time, was also in Bucharest
His uncle, Rav Yitzchak of Bohush, worked to
absorb the masses of refugees, hosting many
in his own home,
When the Imrei Chaim arrived with his
handful of chassidim, he also found a place
of refuge in the home of RavYitzchakof Bo-
hush. That was the first encounter be tween
Reb Yisrael of Pashkan and his future father-
in-law. It was enough to leave an indelibleim-
pression on the young Ruzhiner descendent
During the Yamim Noraim that year, the
bond deepened. In Ruzhin, it isnt custom-
ary for the Rebbes to daven for the amud. So
I when I considered whether to daven in my
The chuppah
iookpmce in
Nahalal,andthe
Yememte rav
of the moshav
conducted it
Few relatives
were preset
most were still
in Europe
L
Enduring Melodies
Rebbetzin Tziporah Friedman, daughter of the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz, is the younger
sister of Rav Moshe Yehoshua Hager ztz"l, the previous Vizhnitzer Rebbe, and ybdlch"t
Rav Mordechai shl/ta, the current Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey. Another sister of the
Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz was Miriam, who was married to Rav Yehudale Horowitz of
Dzhikov, then to Rav Yehoshua Greenwald of Chust after her first husband's passing,
and then to her zivug shlishi, Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss, the Gaavad of Yerushalay-
im. The other sisters were Hinda Adler, the wife of Rav Naftali Adler of Dzhikov, and
Sheva Bracha Ernster, the wife of Rav Moshe Emster founder of Kiryat Meor Chaim
The previous Vizhnitzer Rebbe: in Tzfas and Yerushalayim and the father of Rav Menachem Ernster, the current rosh
the Yeshuos Moshe, the yeshivah of Vizhnitz in Bnei Brak
Rebbetzin'sbrother The Vizhnitzer royal family traces its lineage back to Rav Menachem Mendel Hager
of Kossov, the author of Ahavas Shalom and the son of Rav Yaakov Koppel Chassid of
Kolomaye, a talmid of the Baal Shem Tov and the baal tefillah in his bets medrash
His grandson was Menachem Mendel, the first Rebbe of Vizhnitz, also known as the Tzemach Tzaddik (and a son-in-
law of Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin) The Ahavas Yisrael, the third Rebbe of Vizhnitz, once commented about the Yamim Noraim
davening, "My grandfather, the Tzemach Tzaddik [who composed a large percentage of the tunes], injected fire into the
machzor! A niggun," he said, "prevents a person from being weak or neglectful in his service of Hashem"
Dozens of years after she left Vizhnitz, those penetrating Vizhnitzer tunes haven't left Rebbetzin Tziporah The devoted
daughter of the Imrei Chaim remains closely attached to this special reminder of her rich heritage
110 MI S HP A C HA
Legacy of Many Threads
5 , 3 1 ' i
The Chronicles of Ruzhin
Yitzchak's son Rav Yisrael Shalom
Yosef
Rav Yitzchak of Bohush's other
sons were Rav Avraham Yehoshua
Heschel of Ajud, Rav Yaakov of
Husyatin (author of Ohalei
Yaakov), and Rav Moishe
Yehuda Leib of Pashkan, the
grandfather of Rav Yisrael
Friedman shlita.
Rav Yisrael Shalom
Yosef, who succeeded his
father as rebbe of Bohush,
left two sons-in-law who
succeeded him: Rav Men-
achem Mendel Friedman
of Bohush (grandfather of
Rav Yisrael Friedman) and
Rav David Twerski. Rav
Menachem Mende! didn't
have sons to succeed him,
so he asked his nephew
Rav Yitzchak son of the
Shpikover to succeed him Rav
Yitzchak, the new Rebbe of Bohush,
later moved to Eretz Yisrael and
settled in Tel Aviv He was known
for his great love of Eretz Yisrael and
saw a Divine Hand in the state He
passed away in Bnei Brak in 1992
His grandson, in contrast the cur-
rent Bohusher Rebbe has leanings
toward Satmar
Rav Moishe Yehuda Leib of
Pashkan had three children, one of
whom was Rav Yitzchak Friedman,
the son-in-law of Rav Menachem
Mendel of Bohush and the father of
the current Rav Yisrael of Pashkan
Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin, who asso-
ciated each of his six sons with a
different seder of the Mishnah, was
the forebear of dynasties spread
across the chassidic worid. When
he passed away on 3
Marcheshvan at age 54,
each of his sons was asked
to lead a different commu-
mty, and thus became the
leaders of many chassidic
groups His eldest son,
Rav Shalom Yosef, served
as Rebbe in place of his
father, but he passed
away within the year. Rav
Shalom Yosef's eldest son
(and the Ruzhmer's grand-
son), Rav Yitzchok, became
the spiritual leader of the
Romanian town of Bohush
The next son was Rav Avra-
ham Yaakov of Sadigura,
the progenitor of the Sadigerer and
Boyaner chassidic dynasties The
third was Rav Dov Ber of Leova, the
fourth was Rav Menachem Nachum
of Shtefenesht, the fifth was Rav
Dovid Moshe of Tchortkov, and the
sixth was Rav Mordechai Shraga of
Husyatin. He also had fourdaugh-
ters, who went on to become the
forebears of major chassidic courts.
His daughter Miriam married Rav
Menachem Mendel of Vizhnitz, the
founder of the Vizhnitzer dynasty.
Rav Yitzchak of Bohush had 18
children, five of them sons. The
leadership was passed on to Rav
beforethem. So the Imrei Chaim visited Reb
Yitzchak of Bohush. Then the latter paid a re-
turn visit. And in an unusual step, he asked
his nephew, the young Rav Yisrael, to accom-
pany him to the Imrei Chaim, something that
had never happened beforeand would never
happen again. So apparently both sides knew
that the shidduch was predestined
Bucharest at the time was filled with
rebbes, Rav Yisrael remembers. I took ad-
vantage of my close proximity to the Imrei
Chaim and would visit just to watch him, to
hear him speak. He was extremely wise and
had boundless ahavas Yisrael. And what a
talmidchacham... the divrei Torah said in
Vizhnitz include a lot of gemalrias. There is
a collection of letters to his talmidim an
exceptional saferthat indicates his depth
of knowledge.
To this day he says, "that bond with the
Imrei Chaim deeply influences us and our
children.
Sparks in the Mud in 1946, both Reb
Yisrael and Rebbetzin Tziporah arrived in
Eretz Yisrael separately; he on a ship of the
illegal aliyah, which was caught by the British
and taken to the Atlit detention camp, and
she three months later heavily made
up so as to assume the identity of her sister
Hinda, who was 20 years older than her and
had already attained citizenship in Palestine.
Relatives encouraged the two to meet, even
while Rav Yisrael was in the detention camp.
A few months later they decided to build their
home together, while the Imrei Chaim was
still in Europe.
The chuppah took place in Nahalal, and
the Yemenite rav of the moshav conducted
it. Few relatives were present; most were
still in Europe.
The couples choice of residence is per-
ceived by the family as a step toward birur
nitzotzo.%gathering the hidden sparks, and a
desireto draw J ews closer, and thus to hasten
the Redemption. They chose to settle in Re-
shafim, a kibbutz in northeastern Israel The
kibbutz became home to many immigrants
from Vizhnitz and Bohush, primarily the
Rav Yitzchak
of Bohush, Rav
Friedman's
uncle, was
known for his
great love of
Eretz Yisrael
MI S HP A C HA 112
fohrers the travelers - who traveled to the rebbes of Vizhnitz
and Ruzhin even if they didnt have much of a spiritual grasp of the
Rebbes ways. The Rebbe believes that the sparks of holiness are
found in the deepest mud, his students explain.
Rav Y israels children relate that their uncle, Reb Y itzchak of
Bohush ztzl, once told them: You should know that your father is
a big Rebbe in Reshafim, and your mother, a great Rebbetzin. De-
spite the endorsement, in the court of Vizhnitz there was difficulty
accepting the choice of residence. At a meeting with his daughter
and son-in-law, the Imrei Chaim asked them to move to Bnei Brak,
but the request was gently refused.
The year 1962 marked a turning point in the Vizhnitzer dynasty.
The Imrei Chaim suffered a stroke. Masses of chassidim feared for
his health, none more than his family. His daughter Tziporah trav-
eled to the hospital to visit her father. It had been some time since
theyd met, and according to the family when she entered, the
Rebbe opened his eyes and sobbed together with his daughter for
two hours. The next morning, he showed signs of recovery.
After that incident, Rebbetzin Tziporah decided to take the chi]-
dren and move next to Shikkun Vizhnitz in order to be near her
father. In Vizhnitz, they rejoiced. Rav Yisrael gave up his position
as secretary of Reshafim and moved to the religious Kibbutz Saad.
Each Erev Shabbos, the family would come together. I n 1964, the
Friedmans traveled to France on an education mission that would
last three years.
In 1967, right after the Six Day War, they returned from France
and settled in Kibbutz Saad. The Pashkaner Rebbe then began to
conduct himself as a rebbe. He wore a shtreimel with the Ruzhiner
pointed yarmulke, as his forefathers did, and began to disseminate
chassidic concepts from his wealth of knowledge.
From that point on until the I mrei Chaims passing on 9 Nis-
san 1972, the bond between him and his father-in-law deepened..
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Grandeur and Humility Ruzhin, one of the most ancient
chassidic dynasties, has at times been greatly misunderstood. The
regal trappings that characterize the chassidus have been miscon-
strued as bloated grandeur. But in essence, the Pashkaner Rebbe
tells me, Ruzhin is about extreme humility.
Our purpose in life is to turn ani, the T, into ayin nothing-
ness, he tells me. A person who lacks true humility can be any-
thing, but not a rebbe. That is an extremely important principle in
Ruzhin. It does not mean that the person becomes nothing; it means
that he reaches the level at which his ani, his sense of selfwhich
is such a dominant force in so many people and stems from impure
influences becomes ayin, nothing. He must entirely subjugate
his self at the peak of his prominence, his learning, or his creativity.
That was the level of ayin achieved by my ancestor, the Maggid of
Mezritch. And it is a standard among Ruzhiner chassidim.
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to Austria, his mechutan, the Toras Chaim
of Kossov, welcomed him, found him a place
to stay and made sure there was a minyan. A
member of that minyan later recorded some
remarkable things about the Rebbe in his
memoirs. Not flowery praises, but records
of his daily conduct. He relates how many
languages the Zeidespoke, how he even knew
the vernacular of aRomanian farmer. And
then he writes: 1Wesubsisted on the Rebbes
shirayim because he atelike a day-old baby.
"This helps us understand who the Ru-
zhiner was, and how he forged the path that
his successors maintain to this day.
And when I venture, There probably
When you know all this,the Pashkaner
Rebbesays, then you can resolve what some
believe to be the great Ruzhiner contradiction.
For all that the Ruzhiner court was charac-
terized by grandeur, it simultaneously stood
for utter humility.
The Ruzhiner Zeide, the founder of the
dynasty, believed and davenedthat Mashiach
would yet come in his time and lived his life
with that in mind. It is possible, I imagine,
that he saw himself as a potential Mashi-
ach. Theouter show of magnificence would
be aligned with that view. At the same time,
there areclear testimonies that the Ruzhiner
Rebbe hardly ate. When he fled from Russia
116 MI S HP A C HA
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Rav Friedmanthe elder de-
scendant of the Ruzhiner dynas-
tylays the cornerstone of the
soon-to-be refurbished Ruzhiner
landmark, the Tiferes Yisrael
shul in J erusalem's Old City. He's
accompanied by his son Hoshea
(left) and Housing Minister Uri
Ariel (right)
' 1 Tisfrei 5775 October S, 2 0 ^
Legacy of Many Threads
He Is a Great Man
Just a few weeks ago, on Erev Rosh Hashanah, the women streaming to Selichos
in the large beis medrash in Shikkun Vizhnitz noticed a special guest Rebbetzin
Tziporah Friedman of Pashkan They weren't surprised, the Rebbetzin who
generally keeps a low profile in Vizhnitz is known to visit the court of her fa-
ther's successor at certain times
The Rebbetzin deeply respects the current Vizhnitzer Rebbe, her own nephew.
"I've known Rav Yisrael since he was born," she explains, "And he's one in a gen-
eration. I've remained in contact with him throughout the years. For me, there is
no one more worthy of filling the place of my father and brother"
In fact, every Erev Chanukah the Rebbe of Pashkan and the Rebbetzin express
their respect for him by lending him the menorah of Rav Pinchas of Koritz, which
they inherited, so that he can light it. For the rest of the year, the menorah is kept
in a vault.
Shared roots: Rav Friedman sits at a yahrtzeit tish together with three nephews:
Rav Mendel and Rav Yisrael Hager of Vizhnitz and Rav Menachem Ernster
The door closes. I can hear the Arab
muezzin echoing through theneighborhood, a
harsh reminder that thehostile neighborhood
of Beit Jala is right nearby another sign that
the Redemption, the lifes dreamof the father
of the Ruzhiner dynasty andhis remarkable
successor, has not yet arrived. But as the
barriers between brothers slowly crumble,
its surely closer than ever.
Visit a certain tish in Gilo, and you might
feel it too.
I tS early evening in Gilo.
Weve traveled back in time, explored raw
memories, and touched the essential elements
of chassidus. My hosts are as gracious as ever,
but I fear staying too long. As I get ready to
leave, Im in for a surprise: The Pashkaner
Rebbe, despite his ageand status, escorts me
four amos to the door, with a warmth that I
can almost feel. He then blesses me with long
years and that we all merit the Redemption
very soon.
isnt anyone else alive who is a sixth-gener-
ation-descendant of the Ruzhiner Zeide, as
the Rebbe is, his answer is quick in coming.
"I dont make those calculations. Because
if I do, then I risk increasing my humility/
Taking Root Fourteen years ago, the
Friedman family settled in Gilo. Reb Yisrael
of Pashkan, whod followed his stint in Kib-
butz Saad with a post of rosh yeshivathesder
in Netivot, began to conduct himself as a
rebbe within the national-religious commu-
nity. The midrashah that he heads began to
attract dati-leumi J ews seeking a chassidic
experience. Slowly slowly, the court grew.
Today his tishen even attract chareidim,
admirers of Vizhnitz who come to observe
the Ruzhiner prince groomed for leadership
since his youngest years.
In recentycars, chassidus has been tak-
ing root in the dati-leumi community, he
observes. You can see it now at the tishen.
There is a trend toward chassidus and thats
a big thing.
Among the Rebbes children, Brigadier
General Rabbi Hoshea Friedman, command-
ing officer of the IDF Reserve Corps, is the
most staunchly rooted in the path of chassi-
dus. During the week hewears amilitaryuni-
formas part of his job, alongwith alongbeard
and Ruzhin-style peyos. While davening, he
wears abroad gartelover his fatigues. On
Shabbos and at the weddings of his children
he proudly wears a shtreimel and beketshe.
Since the passing of his rebbi, Harav
Yitzchak of Bohush, who lived in Bnei Brak
toward the end of his life, Brigadier General
Friedman has a chassid-rebbe relationship
with his father. He gives kvittlach to Rav
Yisrael and sits at the tish as a chassid. His
ch ildren, who aredeeply integrated in nation-
al-religious sodcty, proudly bear the names
of their ancestors: Sheyne Ruchl, Moishe Ye-
huda Leib, Yitzchak, Margalit, Chaim Meir,
Sureh Dvoyre Bat Tzion. When they marry,
they cover their knitted yarmulkes with a
pointed shtreimel, just like their cousins in
the other Ruzhiner courts.
118 MI S HP A C HA