Shulem Moskovitz (23 November 1877 – 14 January 1958), known as the Shotzer Rebbe, was a Romanian hasidic Rabbi. He was a descendant of the famed
chasidic
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 ...
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 ...
Yechiel Mikhl of Zlotshov.
Background
Moskovitz emigrated to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, settling in
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the l ...
, a part of London where not many hasidic Jews lived then. In London, he became known as the ''Shotzer Rebbe''. He established a ''Beis Medrash'' affiliated to the
Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations
The Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations is an umbrella organisation of Haredi Jewish communities in London, and has an estimated membership of over 6,000. It was founded in 1926, with the stated mission "to protect traditional Judaism", and ha ...
.
Rabbi Shulem was the son of
Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Moshe of Sulitza. He married Shlomtza, his first cousin, the daughter of his father's brother, Rabbi Meir, and his first wife, Dinah.
The Shotzer Rebbe wrote several volumes of
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
commentaries named ''Daas Sholom'', are arranged according to the order of ''
Perek Shira
''Perek Shira'' (Hebrew פרק שירה, lit. "Chapter of Song") is an ancient Jewish text. There are a number of versions extant, some associated with the Ashkenazic tradition, some with the Sephardic, and some with the Mizrahi Jews tradition. ...
''. He was a genius both in the revealed Torah and in Kabbala, and lived a lifestyle of holiness and simplicity.
Among the Shotzer Rebbe's descendants are Rabbi David Moskowitz, the Shotzer 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 Mediterran ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, and Rabbi Y. M. Moskowitz, the
shotz-drubitz'r rabbi (Brooklyn / bet shemesh), and Rabbi Naftali Asher Yeshayahu Moskowitz, the
Melitzer Rebbe, also in Ashdod, author of several books, including ''Peiros Hailan'' on the laws of
Chol HaMoed, and ''Nefesh Chaya'', a commentary and interpretation of the
Book of Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...
.
Moskovitz died in London on 14 January 1958, at the age of 80. He is buried in the
Adath Yisroel cemetery in
Enfield
Enfield may refer to:
Places Australia
* Enfield, New South Wales
* Enfield, South Australia
** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb
** Enfield High School (South Australia)
...
. An ''
ohel'' was built over his grave. His gravesite is known as a source of yeshuos and people from all over the world travel to his kever to seek salvations; it is a place of pilgrimage every Friday
Moskovitz left an ethical will specifying that anyone could come to his grave and ask for his help, as long as they undertake to better themselves in at least one way in exchange.
Kesher Community Website
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See also
*Shotz (Hasidic dynasty)
Shotz is a Hasidic dynasty originating in the city of Suceava, Romania ( yi, שאָץ ''Shots'', ).
Origins and early history
Lineage of the Shotz dynasty
* Rabbi Yisroel "Baal Shem Tov", founder of Hasidism
** Rabbi Yechiel Michl, the "Ma ...
*Zlotshov (Hasidic dynasty)
Zlotshov is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Yechiel Michel;
Zlotshov or Zlotshev is the Yiddish name of Zolochiv, a town in present-day Ukraine.
Known as the "Maggid of Zlotchev", Yechiel Michel (1726 - the 25th of Elul 5546/18 S ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moskovtz, Shulem
1877 births
1958 deaths
20th-century English rabbis
20th-century Romanian rabbis
Hasidic rebbes
Romanian Orthodox rabbis
Hasidic rabbis in Europe
People from Stamford Hill
British Orthodox rabbis
People from Suceava
English Orthodox Jews
Rabbis from London