Chernobyl ( yi, טשערנאָביל) is a

Hasidic dynasty A Hasidic dynasty is a dynasty led by Hasidic Jewish spiritual leaders known as rebbes, and usually has some or all of the following characteristics: * Each leader of the dynasty is often known as an ''ADMOR'' (abbreviation for '' ADoneinu MOrein ...

that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the ''Meor Einayim''. The dynasty is named after the northern Ukrainian town of

Chernobyl Chernobyl ( , ; russian: Чернобыль, ) or Chornobyl ( uk, Чорнобиль, ) is a partially abandoned city in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, situated in the Vyshhorod Raion of northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Chernobyl is about ...

, where Rabbi Nachum served as the

maggid A maggid ( he, מַגִּיד), also spelled as magid, is a traditional Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A chaplain of the more scholarly sort is called a '' darshan'' (). The title of ...

(). The attribution of Chernobyl Hasidism continued from the second generation of

Hasidic Judaism Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

to the present day. Chernobyl is considered one of the famous courts of the Hasidic movement. The lineage has existed to this day, although not always with the name Chernobyl. Today there are several

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 Spiritu ...

s named Chernobyl. The central court is in

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1752 acres, or 2.74 s ...

, headed by Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky. The name "Chernobyl dynasty" is also used as a general term for the sects of the descendants of Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl; the dynasties of Chernobyl, Skver, Trisk,

Rachmastrivka Rachmastrivka is a Hasidic dynasty named after the town of Rotmistrivka, Ukraine. It is an offshoot of the Chernobyl dynasty dating back to the 19th century. The founder of the dynasty, Rebbe Yochanan Twersky (1816-1895), was the youngest son ...

, Hornosteipel, and in the past even the dynasties of Machnovka (today this court practices

Belz Belz ( uk, Белз; pl, Bełz; yi, בעלז ') is a small city in Lviv Oblast of Western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, located between the Solokiya river (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administ ...

customary), Makarov and Shpikov and the dynasties that branched out of these dynasties.

Lineage of the Chernobyl rebbes

* Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, founder of the dynasty, was a disciple of the

Baal Shem Tov Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...

(the founder of the Hasidic movement) and of the Maggid of Mezritch, and author of the books ''Me'or Einayim'' and ''Yesamach Lev'' (). His father was Rabbi Zvi Hirsch son of Rabbi Nachum Gaon of Narinsk. He served as a Maggid Meisharim in the communities of Narynsk, Pogrebishti and Chernobyl, and was poor most of his life. He died on the 11th of Cheshvan 1798. * Rabbi Mordechai Twersky of Chernobyl, known as the Maggid of Chernobyl, was the son of Rabbi Menachem Nachum and Sarah. He was married to the daughter of Rabbi Aharon the Great of Karlin and a second time to Feiga, the daughter of Rabbi Dovid Leikas. He used to turn around in the towns and receive

Maggid A maggid ( he, מַגִּיד), also spelled as magid, is a traditional Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A chaplain of the more scholarly sort is called a '' darshan'' (). The title of ...

us letters from many of them. Unlike his father, he was rich and traveled in a horse-drawn carriage. His teachings were gathered in the book Likutei Torah. He died on 24 May 1837, and was buried in Ignatowka, near

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

, and left eight sons and three daughters. * Rabbi Aaron Twersky of Chernobyl, the son of Rabbi Mordechai and Chaya Sara. He was born in 1784, and his name was given to him after his grandfather, Rabbi Aharon the Great of Karlin, and in his youth his father forced him to serve as rebbe, and since then a he traveled a lot through the surrounding cities. Upon the death of his father, he took his place in the leadership of his community and the

ing of Chernobyl and other communities. He was the president of the charity fund Kupath Rabbi Meir Baal Haness of , and was active in strengthening the settling the land. He died on 21 November 1871, leaving behind six children. His sons were born from his second wife. Chernobyl Hasidism as a movement survived the ravages of

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

, although many of its members perished. There are many scions of the Chernobyl dynasty alive today. Generally, at present, anyone with the last name Twersky (or Twerski) is likely to be a descendant of the Chernobyl dynasty.

The Chernobyl dynasty

The founder of the Chernobyl dynasty was Rebbe (Menachem) Nochum, the ''Meor Einayim'', a disciple of Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov, who established the Hasidic movement. He was also a disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch: *Grand Rabbi Menachem Nochum Twersky of Chernobyl (1730–1797) – author of ''Meor Einayim'', disciple of the Baal Shem Tov **Grand Rabbi Mordechai Twersky (1770–1837) – the ''Chernobyler Maggid'', son of the Meor Einayim – had eight sons who each became a

and founded their own dynasty. ***Grand Rabbi Aaron Twersky of Chernobyl (1784–1871), eldest son of Rebbe Mordechai ****Grand Rabbi Yeshaya Meshulom Zishe Twersky of Chernobyl (1814–1881), son of Rebbe Aaron *****Grand Rabbi Shlomo BenZion Twersky of Chernobyl (1870–1939), son of Rebbe Yeshayo Meshulom Zishe ****Grand Rabbi Boruch Osher Twersky of Chernobyl (d. 1905), son of Rebbe Aaron *****Grand Rabbi Shlomo Shmuel Twersky of Chernobyl-Brooklyn (d.1936), son of Rebbe Boruch Osher and son-in-law of Rebbe Yeshaya Meshulom Zishe ******Grand Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Twersky, Chernobyler Rebbe of Boro Park (1902–1983), son of Rebbe Shlomo Shmuel – the last Chernobyler Rebbe who was born in Chernobyl ******* Rabbi Shlomo Twersky (d. 2017), son of Grand Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Twersky, Rabbi of Kehal Chasidy Chernobel in Lawrence, New York; ******** Grand Rabbi Zvi Twersky – Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Toras Chaim in Romema,

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, son of Rabbi Shlomo Twersky of Lawrence, NY; **** Grand Rabbi Menachem Nochum Twerski of Loiev, son of Rebbe Aaron ***** Grand Rabbi Mordechai Twerski of Loiev (1840–1905), son of Rebbe Menachem Nochum ****** Grand Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Heshl Twerski of Loiev-Tshudnov (1860–1914), son of Rebbe Mordechai of Loiev ******* Grand Rabbi Chaim Yitzchak Twerski of Loiev-Kiev (1886–1943), son of Rebbe Avrohom Yehoshua Heshl of Loiev-Tshudnov. ******** Grand Rabbi Meshulam Zusha Twerski (1917–1987), Chernobyl-Loiev Rebbe of Bnei Brak, son of Rebbe Chaim Yitzchak of Loiev-Kiev. ********* Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twerski (b. 1942), Chernobyl-Loiev Rebbe of Bnei Brak, son of Rebbe Meshulam Zusha of Chernobyl-Loiev. ********* Grand Rabbi Yeshaya Twerski (b. 1944), Chernobyl-Loiev Rebbe of Boro Park, son of Rebbe Meshulam Zusha of Chernobyl-Loiev. ****** Grand Rabbi Boruch Bentsion Twerski of Loiev-Uman (1875–1945), son of Rebbe Mordechai of Loiev ******* Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Twersky (1921-2013), Chernobyler Rav of Boro Park and Rabbi of

Maimonides Hospital Maimonides Medical Center is a non-profit, non-sectarian hospital located in Borough Park, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. Maimonides is both a treatment facility and academic medical center with 711 beds ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a 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 in the State of New York, ...

New York, grandson of Rabbi Boruch Bentsion of Loiev-Uman ******** Rabbi Baruch Benzion Twersky, Chernobyler Rav of Monsey, son of Rabbi Chaim Mordechai of Boro Park ***Grand Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Twersky of Cherkas, (1794–1876) – son of the Maggid of Chernobyl ****Rebbe Mordechai Dov Twerski of Hornosteipel (1839–1903), author of "Emek Sheilah" and four other soforim– grandson of the Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel Twerski and great-great-grandson of Rebbe Zishe of Anipoli. *****Rebbe Chaim Moshe Tzvi Twerski of Hornosteipel-Rachmastrivka (1866–1933) - son of the Rebbe Mordechai Dov. Son in law of Rebbe Nuchum of

of the Chernobal dynasty *****Rebbe Ben Tzion Yehuda Leib Twerski of Hornosteipel-USA (1867–1951) – son of Rebbe Mordechai Dov. ******Rabbi Chaim Aharon Twerski – son of Rebbe Ben Tzion Yehuda Leib - son-in-law of Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel Dovid Hager of Strozhnits ******Rabbi Menachem Nuchim Twerski son of Rebbe Ben Tzion Yehuda Leib (d. 19 Kislev)– son of Rebbe Ben Tzion Yehuda Leib - son-in-law of Rebbe Yosef Zvi Kalish of Skernovitz-Bnei Braq

orka Hasidic Dynasty Orka may refer to: * Orca, killer whale * Orga, Cyprus, a village in Cyprus * Orka (comics) Orka is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Roy Thomas and Marie Severin, a ...

as a very knowledgeable in torah and chassidus. Young and old would flock to his shul in Tel-Aviv and hear words of Torah and stories of tzadddikim. He wrote a sefer called "Medor L'dor" documenting his pedigree charts, Yichus book and the biography of his ancestors. ******Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel Twerski of Hornosteipel-

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

(1900–1973) - son and successor of Rebbe Ben Tzion Yehuda Leib - son-in-law of Rebbe Benzion Halberstam of Bobov *******Rebbe Ben Tzion Chaim Shloime Meshulam Zusia Twerski of Hornosteipel-

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

(1923–1981) - son of Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel of Milwaukee ********Rebbe Mordechai Dov Ber Twerski of Hornosteipel-Denver (b. 1949), in Flatbush, Brooklyn - only son of Rebbe Shloime of Denver ********Rebbe Shalom Shachna Friedman of Hornosteipel-Beitar Illit - son-in-law of Rebbe Shloime of Denver *******Rebbe Mordechai Dov Ber Twerski (1924–1998), son of Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel of Milwaukee *******Rabbi Dr.

Abraham J. Twerski Abraham Joshua Heshel Twerski (אברהם יהושע העשיל טווערסקי, Hebrew & Yiddish); ) was an Israeli-American Hasidic rabbi, a scion of the Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty, and a psychiatrist specializing in substance abuse. Earl ...

, M.D., son of Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel of Milwaukee *******Rebbe Yechiel Michel Twerski of Hornosteipel-Milwaukee (b. 1939) - son of Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel of Milwaukee *******Rabbi

Aaron Twerski Aaron D. Twerski (born May 1939) is an American lawyer and professor. He is the Irwin and Jill Cohen Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, as well as a former Dean and professor of tort law at Hofstra University School of Law. Early and pe ...

, son of Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel of Milwaukee ***Grand Rabbi Yitzhak Twersky of Skver, (1812–1885) son of Rebbe Mordechai; son-in-law of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of Skver, a patrilineal descendant of the Baal Shem Tov; **** Grand Rabbi David (Duvidl) Twersky of Skver (1848–1919) — son of Rebbe Itzikl. ***** Grand Rabbi Mordechai Twersky of Skver (1868–1919) — son of Rebbe Duvidl. ****** Grand Rabbi Yitzchak Twersky of Skver (1888–1941) — arrived in America in 1923, son of Rabbi Mordechai. ******* Grand Rabbi David Twersky of Skver-Boro Park (1922–2001) — son of Rabbi Yitzchak. ******** Grand Rabbi Yechiel Michl Twersky — present Skverer Rebbe of Boro Park, son of Rabbi David. ***** Grand Rabbi Shlomo Twersky of Skver (1870–1921) — son of Rebbe Duvidl. ****** Grand Rabbi Eluzar Twersky of Faltishan-Skver (1893–1976) — Rebbe of Faltishan (

Fălticeni Fălticeni (; ''german: Foltischeni; hu, Falticsén;'' he, פלטיצ'ן yi, פאלטישאן) is a town in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Western Moldavia. Fălticeni is the second largest urba ...

, Romania); son of Rabbi Shlomo; arrived in America in 1947. ******* Grand Rabbi Yisrael Avraham Stein of Faltishan (1915–1989) — Rabbi of Faltishan, and Faltishaner Rebbe in Brooklyn; son-in-law of Rabbi Elazar; arrived in America in 1946. ******** Grand Rabbi Mordechai Stein of Faltishan — present Faltishaner Rabbe; son of Rabbi Yisrael Avraham. ******* Rabbi Avrom Twersky of Faltishan (ca. 1920-1985) — Rebbe of Faltishan Borough Park; son of Rabbi Eluzer. ******** Grand Rabbi Shulem Meir Twersky — Present Faltishan Borough Park Rebbe; son of Rabbi Avrom. ***** Grand Rabbi

Yakov Yosef Twersky Rabbi Yakov Yosef Twersky (June 23, 1899 – March 31, 1968) was the Grand Rabbi and spiritual leader of the village of New Square, New York, and of Skverer Hasidism worldwide. Biography Born in Ukraine, Twersky was a Holocaust survivor. In ...

of Skver (1899–1968) — Rebbe of New Square; son of Rabbi Duvid'l. ****** Grand Rabbi David Twersky of Skver — present Rebbe of New Square and Grand Rabbi of the Skverer Hasidim worldwide; son of Rebbe Yaakov Yosef. ***Grand Rabbi Avrohom Twersky of Trisk, son of Rebbe Mordechai, author of ''Mogen Avrohom'' (d. 1889) ***Grand Rabbi David Twersky of Tolna, son of Rebbe Mordechai ***Grand Rabbi Yochanan Twersky of

, son of Rebbe Mordechai

Famous scions

Among the famous scions of the Chernobyl dynasty are: * Grand Rabbi Menachem Nochum Twerski, the Chernobyler Rebbe of

; * Grand Rabbi Yeshaya Twersky, the Chernobyler Rebbe of Borough Park, Brooklyn; * The Chernobyler Rebbe of

Ashdod Ashdod ( he, ''ʾašdōḏ''; ar, أسدود or إسدود ''ʾisdūd'' or '' ʾasdūd'' ; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃 *''ʾašdūd'') is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterra ...

; * Grand Rabbi David Twersky, of

New Square, NY New Square ( yi, שיכון סקווירא, Shikun Skvir) is an all-Hasidic village in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Hillcrest, east of Viola, south of New Hempstead, and west of New City ...

, leader of Skver, the largest current Hasidic dynasty originating from Chernobyl; * Grand Rabbi Michel Twersky, the Skverer Rebbe of Boro Park; * Grand Rabbi

Michel Twerski Rabbi Michel Twerski (born May 1939) is an American Hasidic rabbi and composer of Jewish music. He currently heads the Beth Jehudah congregation in Milwaukee. He is the brother of the psychiatrist Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski. Rabbi Twerski is a des ...

, the Hornosteipler Rebbe of

; * Grand Rabbi Mordechai Dov Ber Twerski, the Hornosteipel-Denver Rebbe of

Flatbush, Brooklyn Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park to the north, East Flatbush to the east, Midwood to the south, ...

; * Grand Rabbi Shalom Shachna Friedman, the Hornosteipler Rebbe of

; * Rabbi Dr.

, noted author and

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their ...

; * Rabbi

, retired Dean of Hofstra Law School; * Rabbi Dovid Twersky, the

Rebbe of

; * Rabbi Chai Yitzchok Twersky, the Rachmastrivka Rebbe of Borough Park, Brooklyn; * Grand Rabbi Menachem Mendel Matisyohu Twersky, the Trisker Rebbe of London; **Grand Rabbi Yitzchok Duvid Twersky of Trisk-Tolna. Son of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Matisyohu * Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Eichenstein, the Trisker Rebbe of

; * Rabbi Yitzchak Menachem Weinberg, the Tolner Rebbe of Jerusalem; * Rabbi Amitai Twersky, the Tolner Rebbe of

; * Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Twerski, son of Reb Mottel Twerski of Flatbush, Rosh Yeshiva Hebrew Theological College and Rav of Bais Chaim Dovid Lincolnwood, Illinois; * Rabbi Dr. Yitzhak Twersky, the Tolner Rebbe of Boston and a professor and head of the Center for Jewish Studies at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

; ** Rabbi Mayer Twersky, son of Rabbi Yitzhak Twersky of Boston, Rosh Yeshiva of Rabbi Isaac Elchanon Theological Seminary of

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

; ** Rabbi Mosheh Twersky, son of Rabbi Yitzhak Twersky of Boston, Rosh Mesivta of Yeshiva Toras Moshe in Jerusalem, Israel. * Grand Rabbi Yitzhak Aharon Korff, grandson of Rebbe Yaakov Yisroel Korff, Zvhil– Mezbuz Rebbe of Boston. File:Chernobyler Rebbe - Portrait.jpg, Grand Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Twersky, ZT"L, Chernobyler Rebbe of Boro Park – the last Chernobyler Rebbe to serve in

File:Skverer Rebbe With Torah.jpg, Grand Rabbi David Twersky, Skverer Rebbe, a scion of the Chernobyl dynasty File:Yitzhak Aharon Korff 2.jpg, Zvhil-Mezbuz Rebbe of Boston, Grand Rabbi Y. A. Korff (center), and Rabbi Yitzhak (Isadore) Twersky, Tolna Rebbe of Boston (left)

Notes

Sources

External links

Rebbes of Makarow-Berdichev (Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty)
– site (in Russian and English) of Zalman Shklyar (Russia, Moscow, icq 277236854)

*The Hornosteiple shul in Milwauke
Chernobler Rebbe...
{{Hasidic dynasties