Yosef Yechiel Mechel Lebovits (

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 ve ...

: יוסף יחיאל מיכל לעבאוויטש) is a Hasidic rebbe and the founder of the Nikolsburg-Monsey Hasidic community.

Family

Yechiel Mechel Lebovits was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to Rabbi Baruch Yehuda Lebovitz (1908 - 1951) and Yentel Schnitzler (1910 - 1976). His father Baruch was from

Hajós Hajós ( hr, Ajoš; german: Hajosch) is a town in Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary. History Hajós's name comes from the Hungarian word "hajó" which means boat or ship. It is possible that in the Middle Ages Hajós was surrounded by a large area ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

and helped revive Jewish life in the D.P. camps. His father's family claimed direct paternal descent from Yechiel Michel of Zlotshov (d. 1786), founder of the Zlotshov Hasidic dynasty. His mother Yentel Schnitzler (1910 - 1976) was the daughter of Shraga Shmuel Schnitzler (1889 - 1979) the Tchabe Rav of

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

who was the great-grandson of Rabbi Baruch Schnitzler of

Kaliv Kaliv is a Hasidic dynasty founded by Yitzchak Isaac Taub (1744–1821) of Nagykálló (in Yiddish ''Kalev, Kaalov, Kaliv''), Hungary. History Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Taub Rabbi Taub (1751 - 7 Adar 2, March 21 1821) was the rabbi of Kalov and th ...

(1765 - 1820) who the Schnitzler family claim to have been the son-in-law of

Shmelke of Nikolsburg Shmuel Shmelke HaLevi Horowitz of Nikolsburg (Yiddish: שמואל שמעלקי הלוי הורוויץ פון ניקאלשפורג, ; 1726 – April 28, 1778) also known as the Rebbe Reb Shmelke was an early Hasidic master and kabbalist, who is am ...

(1726 - 1778) from where the Nikolsburg-Monsey community is named. However several genealogists and historians have questioned the Schnitzler connection to Horowitz. Through his mother, Lebovitz is the third-great-grandson of Yechiel Michel Auerbach (1785 - 1856) who was the grandson of

Zusha of Hanipol Rabbi Meshulam Zusha of Hanipol or Meshulum Zusil of Anipoli (1718–1800), Reb Zusha, Reb Zushe, The Rebbe Reb Zusha (sometimes spelled Zushye, Zusil, Zoussia, Zušya, Zushya, Zushia, Zisha of Anipoli) was an early Hasidic luminary and well-k ...

(1718 - 1800) and the great-great-grandson 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 ...

(1698 - 1760) who founded

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 cont ...

. Lebovits married the daughter of Eleazar Meisels, the ''

Av Beit Din The ''av beit din'' ( ''ʾabh bêth dîn'', "chief of the court" or "chief justice"), also spelled ''av beis din'' or ''abh beth din'' and abbreviated ABD (), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, ...

'' of Ihel-Chicago and a descendant of the

Meisel family The Meisel family (also Meisels and Meizels) is a distinguished Bohemian rabbinic family originally from Prague, who descend from Yitskhak Eizik Meisels (b. 1425), a paternal 10th generation descendant of the Exilarch, Mar Ukba. From the early 16 ...

. His brother Baruch Lebovits passed away in 2022.

Biography

After his father's death, Lebovits' mother Yentel married

Eliezer Zusia Portugal Eliezer Zusia Portugal (17 October 1898–18 August 1982), the first Skulener Rebbe, was revered by his followers in Russia, Romania, Israel, and the United States for his personal warmth and his care for hundreds of Jewish youth and war orph ...

(1898 - 1982), the first Skulener Rebbe. In his early years, Lebovits studied in the Satmar Yeshiva, under the tutelage of Joel Teitelbaum (1887 - 1979) who he had private sessions with every Wednesday. Lebovits also had a close connection to the Vizhnitz Rebbe,

Mordechai Hager Rabbi Mordechai Hager (14 July 1922 (18 Tammuz 5682) - 16 March 2018 (29 Adar 5778), he, מרדכי הגר; yi, האגער) was the Admor of Vizhnitz Hasidic sect for 46 years, and had a following of tens of thousands of chassidim. Bi ...

(1922 - 2018) who named Lebovits the Nikolsburger Rebbe. At first Lebovits held court in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...

, later relocating to Spring Valley in

Monsey, New York Monsey (, yi, מאנסי, translit=Monsi) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Airmont, east of Viola, south of New Hempstead, and west of Spring Valley. The ...

. The community of Nikolsburg in Monsey has a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...

for young adults and boys, a

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

and a beis midrash. He has also authored several works, the most notable of which is "Igeros Yechiel" which is chiddushim on all Torah subjects, including the Talmud, Shulchan Aruch, and the weekly Torah portions. He has also authored the works "Shevas Achim" and "Vzos Hamitzvah".

External links

Nikolsburg website
Hasidic rebbes Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-rabbi-stub