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Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam (January 10, 1905 – June 18, 1994) was an Orthodox rabbi and the founding ''rebbe'' of the Sanz-Klausenburg Hasidic dynasty. Halberstam became one of the youngest rebbes in Europe, leading thousands of followers in the town of Klausenburg, Romania, before World War II. His wife, eleven children and most of his followers were murdered by the Nazis while he was incarcerated in several concentration camps. After the war, he moved to the United States and later to Israel, rebuilt Jewish communal life in the displaced persons camps of Western Europe, re-established his dynasty in the United States and Israel, founded a Haredi neighborhood in Israel and a Sanz community in the United States, established a hospital in Israel run according to Jewish law, and rebuilt his own family with a second marriage and the birth of seven more children. ==Early life== Halberstam was born in 1905 in the town of Rudnik, Poland. He was a great-grandson (through the direct male line) of Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (the ''Divrei Chaim''), one of the great Hasidic leaders of Polish Jewry, and a grandson of the Gorlitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Baruch Halberstam (1829–1906). His father, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Halberstam, the Rav of Rudnik, instilled in the young Yekusiel Yehudah a love of Hasidut and Torah scholarship, sharing with him stories of how the Divrei Chaim learned, prayed and conducted his ''tish'' (Shabbat and Jewish holiday celebratory table). When Yekusiel Yehudah was 13, his father died. Afterwards he studied with other leading Hasidic rebbes, including Rabbi Myer Yechiel of Ostrovtza, Rabbi Chaim ElazarSpira (the Munkatcher Rebbe), and his great-uncle, Rabbi Shalom Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzfert. During this period, Yekusiel Yehudah became known as the "''ilui'' ("genius") of Rudnik,". In later years he would periodically return to Rudnik to visit with his followers, who remained loyal to him even after the appointment of his first cousin Rabbi Benyumin Teitelbaum-Halberstam as Rabbi in 1924. In 1921, Halberstam married his second cousin, Chana Teitelbaum, the daughter of Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum, the Rabbi of Sighet, Romania. She was also a descendant of the ''Divrei Chaim'': her maternal grandfather, Rabbi Sholom Eliezer Halberstam, was the sixth of the seven sons of the Sanzer Rav and his paternal grandmother was a sister of her paternal grandfather. The young couple lived in her father's house for the next five years. In 1927, at the age of 22 and at the behest of his remote uncle Joel Teitelbaum, Halberstam accepted the post of Rabbi of the "Sefardi congregation" in Klausenburg, Romania. The group, comprising mainly hasidim, split from the official Orthodox community because of the alleged Zionism of Rabbi Moshe Glassner. They used a clause which allowed them to maintain an independent ("Status Quo") congregation. Although he was relatively young, he impressed the community with his charismatic personality, wisdom, and warmth toward Jews of all backgrounds. During the 16 years he spent there, he exhibited many of the qualities that would set him apart during his imprisonment by the Nazis. He slept only three hours a night, often on a synagogue bench, and he often ate only one meal a day, reserving bread for the Sabbath. He spent much of his day in prayer and study. His love for and faith in God was legendary. He also paid special attention to children, founding a yeshivah in which 100 students learned in Klausenberg. The Rebbe's reputation spread throughout Romania and Hungary, and even reached Israel. In 1937 Halberstam was offered a seat on the Jerusalem rabbinical court. Uncertain as to whether he should accept the seat or stay with his community, Halberstam wrote to his mother in Rudnik for advice. She advised him to stay where he was, saying he was too young to accept such a position. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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