Bluzhev (also spelled ''Bluzhov'' or ''Bluzov'') is a Hasidic dynasty originating in

Błażowa Błażowa ( yi, בלאזשאוו ''Blazhov'') is a town in Rzeszów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 2,149 as of December 2021. History The area of the gmina of Błażowa in the past was located along the bord ...

, Poland and currently based in

Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county i ...

. Founded by Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Spira in the early 1880s, it was destroyed during the Holocaust and reestablished in the United States by Rabbi

Yisroel Spira Yisroel Spira (November 12, 1889 – October 30, 1989), the Bluzhover Rebbe, was a senior member of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, and a Holocaust survivor. His experiences in the Nazi concentration camps were the basis for the book ''Hasidic Tales of ...

. In 2015, after the death of Grand Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Spira, the court splintered into three smaller groups, one retaining the name Bluzev and the others going under the names Ribatitch and Bluzhev. All are centered in Brooklyn.

History

''Tzvi LaTzaddik''

The founding ''

Admor A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) 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 Spiritua ...

'' of the dynasty was Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Spira. He was born in 1841 to Rabbi Dovid and Rochel Spira. His father was the

rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) 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 Spiritua ...

of Dinov, having gotten the position from ''his'' father, the first Rabbi

Tzvi Elimelech Spira Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov (1783–January 11, 1841) was a famous Hasidic Rebbe in Poland. A prolific writer, known as the author of ''Bnei Yissachar'', a classic Hasidic text containing conversations about the Torah. He is also the auth ...

(known as the ''Bnei Yissoschor''). A student of Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz, Rabbi Spira served as the rebbe of

Ribatitch Rybotycze ( yi, ריבאטיטש, Ribatitch) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Fredropol, within Przemyśl County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine. It lies approximately sou ...

before assuming the position of rabbi of Bluzhov (the

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

name for

). During World War I, he fled to the nearby city of Rzeszów (Reisha) where he died in 1924. He is commonly remembered as the ''Tzvi LaTzaddik'', the name of the ''

sefer Sefer may refer to: * Sefer (Hebrew), a term for a book People with the surname * Franjo Šefer (born 1905), Yugoslav tennis player * Bela Šefer, Yugoslav footballer playing in 1924 People with the forename * Sefer Reis, Turkish privateer and Ot ...

'' he authored.

''Keren Yeshua''

After the death of the ''Tzvi LaTzaddik'', his son, Rabbi Yehoshua Spira, who had also formerly served as rebbe in Ribatitch, succeeded him as rebbe of the Bluzhev dynasty, continuing to lead the court in Rzeszów. Like his father, he is often referred to by the name of his ''sefer'', titled ''Keren Yeshuah''. He died on February 19, 1932.

Rabbis Meir and Eliezer Spira

The ''Keren Yeshuah'' was succeeded by his son Rabbi Meir Spira, who continued to lead the court in Rzeszów (he had previously served as rabbi of Błażowa). Another son, Rabbi Eliezer Spira, served as rebbe of Ribatitch. They both were murdered in the Holocaust.

Rabbi Yisroel Spira

Born in 1889, he was a son of the Keren Yeshuah. He served as the rebbe of Istrik where he attracted many ''chassidim'', including followers of his father and grandfather (the Keren Yeshuah and Tzvi LaTzaddik). He survived the Holocaust in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and after the war, moved to the United States. There, he reestablished the Bluzhev chassidus in Brooklyn. He died in 1989 at the age of 100 and was buried on Mount of Olives.

Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah Spira

Born in Germany in 1936 into the Kushitzki family, his father was killed in the Holocaust. He reunited with his mother after World War II who went on to marry Rabbi Yisroel Spira, hence his surname being changed from Kushitzki to Spira. After his step-father's death, he was appointed the next rebbe of Bluzhev. He also served as ''nasi'' (president) of Kolel Chibas Yerushalayim. He died in 2015 and was buried on Mount of Olives. At his funeral, it was announced that his successors would be his sons Avrohom Yaakov Spira, Moshe Menachem Spira, and Yehoshua Yosef Spira, who will all lead his

bais medrash Bais may refer to: * Bais (wine), a traditional alcoholic drink made from honey from the Mandaya and Manobo people of the Philippines * Bais, Negros Oriental, a city in the Philippines * Bais, Ille-et-Vilaine, a commune of the Ille-et-Vilaine ''dé ...

in Borough Park.

Present-day

Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah Spira was succeeded by his three sons, Rabbis Avraham Yaakov, Moshe Menachem, and Yehoshua Yosef Spira. While the oldest son, Rabbi Avraham Yaakov, went on to lead from the same '' beis midrash'' as his father and step-grandfather, the second and third sons led their own congregations, under the names "BLUZHEV" and "Bluzhev-Ribatitch", respectively.

Lineage of Bluzhev dynasty

*Rabbi

I of Dinov (1783-1841), ''Bnei Yissoschar'' **Rabbi Dovid Spira of Dinov E/small> (1804-1874), ''Tzemach Dovid'' ***Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Spira II of Bluzhev E/small> (1841-1924), ''Tzvi LaTzaddik'', first Bluzhever Rebbe ****Rabbi Yehoshua Spira of

and Bluzhev E/small> (1862-1932), ''Keren Yeshua'', second Bluzhever Rebbe *****Rabbi Meir Spira of Bluzhev E/small> (d. c. 1941), third Bluzhever Rebbe *****Rabbi Eliezer Spira of Ribatitch (1885-1941) *****Rabbi

of Bluzhev, fourth Bluzhever Rebbe, reestablished court in the United States ******Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah Spira of Bluzhev, fifth Bluzhever Rebbe *******Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Spira of Bluzhev, sixth Bluzhever Rebbe *******Rabbi Moshe Menachem Spira of Bluzhev Bluzhever rebbe *******Rabbi Yehoshua Yosef Spira of Bluzhev-Ribatitch

References

{{Hasidic dynasties Hasidic dynasties Hasidic Judaism in New York City Hasidic dynasties of Poland Orthodox Judaism in Poland Jews and Judaism in Brooklyn Jewish groups in Poland