Avrohom Yaakov Friedman אברהם יעקב פרידמן | |
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| Title | Third Sadigura Rebbe |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Avrohom Yaakov Friedman (1884-07-30)July 30, 1884 |
| Died | December 24, 1961(1961-12-24) (aged 77) |
| Buried | Tel Aviv |
| Spouse | Bluma Raizel Heschel |
| Parent |
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| Dynasty | Sadigura |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Jewish leader | |
| Predecessor | Rabbi Yisrael Friedman of Sadigura |
| Began | 1907 |
| Ended | 1961 |
| Main work | Avir Yaakov |
| Dynasty | Sadigura |
Avrohom Yaakov Friedman, in English also spelledAbraham Jacob Friedman (Hebrew:אברהם יעקב פרידמן; July 30, 1884[1] – December 24, 1961[2]) was the thirdRebbe of theSadiguraHasidicdynasty. He was a prominent Jewish leader inVienna in theinterwar period and in the nascent State ofIsrael, where he established his court inTel Aviv. He was one of the first members ofAgudat Israel and occupied a seat on theMoetzes Gedolei HaTorah.
Avrohom Yaakov Friedman was the fifth child of Rabbi Yisrael Friedman of Sadigura (1853–1907).[3] He was the grandson of RabbiAvrohom Yaakov Friedman, the first Sadigura Rebbe; and the great-grandson of RabbiYisrael Friedman of Ruzhyn, founder of theRuzhiner Hasidic dynasty.[4] He was born within the year of mourning for his paternal grandfather and was named after him.[1] He had four brothers: Rabbi Aharon of Sadigura (theKedushas Aharon) (1877–1913), Rabbi Shlomo Yosef of Chernovitz, Rabbi Yitzhak of Rimanov, and Rabbi Shlomo Chaim (Reb Shlomenu) of Sadigura (1887–1972).[5]
It is said that his father loved him the most of all his sons.[6] He assiduously spent many hours inTorah study. He was engaged at the age of 11[6] to Bluma Raizel, daughter of Rabbi Yitzhak Meir Heschel ofKopychyntsi, theKopshitzer Rebbe; they married when he was 18.[7]
Upon his father's death in 1907, he and his brothers all became Rebbes, making their courts and conducting theirtishen in different halls in the great Sadigura synagogue.[8] Rabbi Yisrael's eldest son, theKedushas Aharon, died six years later, in 1912,[6] and was succeeded by his 16-year-old son, Rabbi Mordechai Sholom Yosef Friedman.[9]
In 1914, with the outbreak ofWorld War I, Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov fled toVienna together with his younger brother, Rabbi Shlomo Chaim, and his orphaned nephew, Rabbi Mordechai Sholom Yosef. Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov established his court in Vienna and led the Sadigura Hasidim from that city for the next 24 years.[6][10] The relocation of the Sadigura Rebbes to Vienna effectively put an end to the once-flourishing Jewish community in Sadigura, which comprised more than 5,000 Jews before World War I. The remaining Jews of the town were decimated by theNazis during World War II.[6]
During theAnschluss of 1938, the Nazis entered Vienna and subjected leading rabbis to public humiliation.[6] The Sadigura Rebbe was seized and forced to sweep the streets in front of laughing Germans. The Rebbe vowed that if he could escape Austria and get to theLand of Israel, he would gladly sweep the streets there. His Hasidim obtained a visa for him that year and for many months after he arrived inTel Aviv, he swept the streets around his house early each morning. He stopped this practice only after one of his Hasidim noticed what he was doing.[6][11][12] He established his court on Nachmani Street.[13]
Thousands of Sadigura Hasidim were murdered inthe Holocaust, leaving the Rebbe with only a few dozen followers. Nonetheless, he continued to lead his Hasidim with dignity.[14] He conducted his court in Tel Aviv for 22 years until his death in 1961.[15]
The Rebbe was actively involved in Jewish communal life in the new state ofIsrael. He was one of the first members ofAgudat Israel and occupied a seat on theMoetzes Gedolei HaTorah.[14] He served as the "conscience" of Agudat Israel, steering the organization away from politics and toward its mission of religious advocacy.
An epitome of honesty and truthfulness, he did not use polemics or protests to get his point across, but sincerity and straightforwardness. He always acceded to the majority view, even if it did not agree with his own.[15]
The Rebbe was considered atzadik and great Jewish leader. He was known for his wisdom and clear-cut, decisive answers.[8] He was particular not to inconvenience others or accept favors from others.[16] Like other Rebbes of the Ruzhiner dynasty, he was humble and modest on the outside, while on the inside he burned with love of God and fierce allegiance toTorah andmitzvahs.[15]
The Rebbe and his wife were childless.[13]
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The Rebbe's wife died three years before him. He died on December 24, 1961 (5Tevet 5721) and was buried in the Ruzhiner section of theNahalat Yitzhak Cemetery inGivatayim.[2]
Hisdivrei Torah were collected in a volume under the nameHebrew:אביר יעקב (Avir Yaakov).[6]
His Hasidim asked his younger brother, Rabbi Shlomo Chaim, to succeed him, but the latter demurred. He did agree to sit in his brother's place attishen held onJewish holidays and on theyahrtzeits of his Ruzhiner and Sadigura ancestors.[17] Meanwhile, the Sadigura dynasty continued through the Rebbe's nephew, Rabbi Mordechai Sholom Yosef Friedman (1897–1979), who led Sadigura Hasidim in Sadigura andPrzemyśl beforeemigrating to Tel Aviv in 1939.[6] Upon his death in 1979, Rabbi Mordechai Sholom Yosef was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman (1928–2013), who moved the Sadigura court from Tel Aviv toBnei Brak.[18] He was succeeded by his only son, RabbiYisrael Moshe Friedman of Bnei Brak, until his passing in 2020.[19]
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