Kotzk (

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 ...

: קאצק) 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 MOreinu ...

originating from the city of

Kock Kock is a town in eastern Poland, about north of Lublin and south-east of Warsaw. It lies in Lublin Voivodeship, in Lubartów County. It is the capital of the administrative district Gmina Kock. Historically Kock belongs to the Polish province ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, where it was founded by Menachem Mendel Morgenstern (1787–1859). Kotzk is a branch of Peshischa Hasidism, as Menachem Mendel Morgenstern was the leading disciple of Simcha Bunim of Peshischa (1765–1827). Following Simcha Bunim's death he led the divided Peschischa community, which he eventually incorporated into his own Hasidic dynasty. Kotzk follows a Hasidic philopshy known for its critical and rationalistic approach to Hasidism and its intense approach to personal improvement which is based on a process of harsh constructive criticism and total transparency of self. Kotzk is closely connected to other branches of Peshischa Hasidism such as Ger and Aleksander and is currently based out of

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

History

Nearing the end of his life Menachem Mendel Morgenstern lived in total seclusion from his followers. After his death, he had already amassed a large following. His eldest son, Dovid Morgenstern (1809–1893) succeeded him as the Kotzker rebbe, despite minor criticism from his followers who wanted Yitzchak Meir Alter (1799–1866) to succeed him as Kotzker rebbe. It was around this time that Avrohom Bornsztain (1838–1910), a leading disciple of Menachem Mendel Morgenstern founded the

Sochatchov Sochaczew () is a town in central Poland, with 38,300 inhabitants (2004). In the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), formerly in Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Sochaczew County. Sochaczew has a narrow-gauge railway m ...

Hasidic dynasty based in Sochaczew. This alongside the rejected leadership of Yitzchak Meir Alter led to several minor splits amongst the community. Before the Holocaust, Kotzk was of the largest Hasidic groups which number in the tens of thousands. The last Kotzker rebbe before 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; a ...

, was

Yitzchak Zelig Morgenstern Yitzchak Zelig Morgenstern of Kotzk-Sokolov (Hebrew: יצחק זליג מורגנשטרן, מסוקולוב, Yiddish: זעליג מארגענשטערן, מסאקאלאוו, of Sokolov; 1866 - 16 October 1939 (3 Cheshvan 5700)) was an Admor and Ros ...

(1866–1939), the fourth Kotzker rebbe who served as a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. During the Holocaust a huge percentage of the community was murdered, and following the atrocities of the Holocaust, the remaining Hasidim of Kotzk immigrated to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

alongside the sixth and last Kotzker rebbe, David Solomon Morgenstern (1904–1962). After his death, the community split into several fractions, the largest of which was led by Mendel Meir Morgenstern (1921–2013) who was a grandson of Yitzchak Zelig Morgenstern and the founder of the Israeli branch of Kotzk based out of

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...

Succession of Kotzk

* Grand Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern (1787–1859), First Kotzker Rebbe. ** Grand Rabbi Dovid Morgenstern (1809–1893), Second Kotzker Rebbe. *** Grand Rabbi Chaim Yisrael Morgenstern (1840–1905), Third Kotzker Rebbe. **** Grand Rabbi

(1866–1940), Fourth Kotzker Rebbe. ***** Grand Rabbi Jacob Mendel Morgenstern (1887–1939), Fifth Kotzker Rebbe. ****** Grand Rabbi David Solomon Morgenstern (1904–1962), Sixth Kotzker Rebbe. ***** Rabbi Moshe Dovid Morgenstern (1892–1937). ****** Grand Rabbi Mendel Meir Morgenstern (1921–2013), Kotzker Rebbe of Bnei Brak. ******* Rabbi Dovid Morgenstern ******* Rabbi Yitzchak Zelig Morgenstern

References

Hasidic dynasties of Poland Orthodox Judaism in Poland {{Poland-hist-stub