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Jewish History (2013) 27: 221240 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 DOI: 10.1007/s10835-013-9187-5
Whats in a Name? The Dilemma of Title and Geography for Contemporary Hasidism
SAMUEL C. HEILMAN
Queens College and the Graduate Center of CUNY, Queens, USA E-mail: mailto:heilman@qc.edu
Web End =heilman@qc.edu
Abstract This paper examines the importance of branding in hasidic life. It considers the impact of place names associated with the title of a particular rebbe or tsadik and his followers. When there is more than one claimant to succeed to the role of rebbe for a particular group of hasidim, the competition is often intensied because even though each claimant may have his own followers, there is only one name available for the group and its leader. This situation, different from the one that existed earlier in the history of Hasidism, makes the circumstances of succession today more fraught than they once were.
Keywords Hasidism United States Twentieth Century Geography Succession
Introduction
As Hasidism became a multigenerational mass movement, the hasidim ceased to think of themselves as unafliated adherents of a particular form of pietistic religious behavior and ideology. Rather, one had to be associated with a specic tsadik or hasidic court.1 While the tsadiks ideology, practices, and charisma accounted for his appeal, his capacity to work miracles, bring blessings, and provide other practical benets to his followers were likewise important. Finally, the institutions he oversaw would become an important part of his power and appeal. Often overlooked in considering what made a particular tsadik or rebbe a success was his geographic propinquity and accessibility to his followers.2 People had to be able to get near to the tsadik and spend time with him in order to be affected by him and establish a bond, both spiritual and material, to become his hasidim. While tales about his unique quality and works attributed to him as well as the reputation of his
1See David Assaf, Hasidism: Historical Overview, Yivo Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe (New Haven, 2008), 1:664; Arthur Green, Typologies of Leadership and the Hasidic Zaddik, in Jewish Spirituality, vol. 2 (New York, 1987), 153 n. 2.
2For an interesting discussion of hasidic geography in early modern Poland-Lithuania and its inuence on the spread of Hasidism, see Adam Teller,...