Radomsk

Great Synagogue in Radomsk

The founder of the dynasty was Rabbi Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz (the Tiferes Shlomo) (1801–1866), who had begun serving as Rav of Radomsko (Radomsk) in 1834.[5][6][7] Under his leadership, the Jewish community of Radomsk grew both in prestige and population.[8] When Grand Rabbi Moshe Biderman of Lelov moved to the Land of Israel and instructed his Hasidim to follow Rabinowicz, the latter's influence as a Rebbe grew significantly[7][9] and Radomsk became a major Hasidic center.[6] The masses revered their Rebbe for his lofty prayers, beautiful singing voice, and benevolence towards their needs,[5][10] while the more scholarly Hasidim admired his profound discourses in Halakha and Kabbalah.[6][11] Rabinowicz's discourses on the Chumash and Jewish holidays were published posthumously in Warsaw in 1867–1869 as the two-volume Tiferes Shlomo.[12][13] This work, considered a textbook of Hasidic thought,[14] met with widespread acclaim and has been continuously reprinted.[15][16]

Upon the Rebbe's death in 1866, his youngest son, Avraham Yissachar Dov Hakohen Rabinowicz (1843–1892), succeeded him. Rabbi Avraham Yissachar Dov was also a great Torah scholar[17] and was musically gifted.[18] After he became Rebbe, he attracted many Hasidim from Poland and Galicia.[9][13] He suffered from diabetes[17] and died in Radomsk a year shy of his fiftieth birthday.[19] His Torah teachings were compiled under the title Chesed L'Avraham, published in Piotrkow in 1893.[20]

He was succeeded as Rebbe by his second son, Rabbi Yechezkel Hakohen Rabinowicz (1864–1910), who had initially served as Rav of Novipola. The third Radomsker Rebbe was known for his dedication to Torah study,[17] his extreme modesty, and powerful sermons.[21] He suffered from diabetes like his father[17] and also died before the age of 50.[22] An estimated 25,000 people attended his funeral from all over Poland and Galicia.[17] His Torah teachings were compiled under the title Kenesses Yechezkel, published in 1913.[17]

His eldest son, Rabbi Shlomo Chanoch Hakohen Rabinowicz (1882–1942), succeeded him.[17] The fourth Radomsker Rebbe was a dynamic and charismatic leader.[3] Thousands of Hasidim attended his court on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.[23] The Rebbe was also quite wealthy.[24][25] He owned a glass factory and homes in Berlin, Warsaw, and Sosnowiec; he re-established his court in the latter city after World War I.[3][26] He also amassed a huge personal collection of old manuscripts and prints that was said to be the second-largest private library in Poland after that of the Gerrer Rebbe.[24]

The fourth Radomsker Rebbe innovated a new trend in Hasidic education in Poland. Until World War I, Hasidic youth traditionally studied Torah and learned the customs and lore of their dynasties in shtiebelach (small houses of prayer and study) across Poland. As the war uprooted hundreds of thousands of Jews and decimated established communities, the shtiebelach lost their central place in Hasidic life.[27] In 1926, the Rebbe announced his plan to create a network of yeshivas called Keser Torah (Crown of Torah). By 1930, nine yeshivas were functioning in major Polish cities, together with a "Kibbutz Govoha" (high-level study group) for advanced students and avreichim (married students) in Sosnowiec.[3] The Rebbe appointed his new son-in-law, Rabbi Dovid Moshe Hakohen Rabinowicz (1906–1942), to serve as rosh yeshiva for the entire network.[27] By 1939, there were 36 Keser Torah yeshivas enrolling over 4,000 students in Poland and Galicia. The Rebbe paid for the entire operation, including staff salaries, food, and student lodging, out of his own pocket.[3][27]

Memorial to Rabbi Shlomo Chanoch Rabinowicz in the Warsaw Jewish cemetery.

On the eve of World War II, Radomsk was the third largest Hasidic dynasty in Poland, after Ger and Alexander.[3] In Kraków, there were more Radomsker shtiebelach than Gerrer shtiebelach.[24]

Following the German invasion of Poland, the Keser Torah yeshivas disbanded[27] and the Rebbe escaped to the town of Alexander, but from there was most likely sent by the Nazis into the Warsaw Ghetto.[24] His son-in-law, Rabbi Dovid Moshe Rabinowicz, was also incarcerated in the Warsaw Ghetto, where he continued to deliver shiurim to Keser Torah students.[28] The Rebbe and all the members of his family, including his only daughter, son-in-law, and their infant son, were shot to death during the Aktion of 1 August 1942.[3][24][28] They were buried in a mass grave in Warsaw's main cemetery.[3][27] With the Rebbe's death, the father-to-son lineage of Radomsker rebbes came to an end. (The Rebbe's brother, Rabbi Elimelech Aryeh Hakohen Rabinowicz, died in Mauthausen.[29])