Seret or Sereter Hasidim were a group of Hasidic Jews that existed in the town of Siret (Seret) and the surrounding area in Bukovina (currently split between Romania and Ukraine) during the late nineteenth century until World War II.
They were headed by their Rebbe ("Grand Rabbi") whose family name was Rubin and was a scion of the Hasidic dynasties of the Kosov, Ropshitz and Belz. In practice the Seret Hasidic group was a branch of the Kosov dynasty.
The best known Rebbe of Kosov (forerunner of the Vizhnitz Dynasty), Rabbi Chaim Hager died in 1854 in Kosov (at that time in East Galicia in Eastern Europe) and left three sons, each of whom had a great number of followers (Hasidim).
The followers of the Hager family, whose numbers in Bukovina were great and who were important, tried to persuade one of the brothers, the second oldest, Rabbi Yosef Alter Hager, to move his permanent residence to Radovitz (Radauti). They wanted thereby to increase the number of visitors to the town, because the followers of the rabbi were accustomed to come from near and far for all holidays and even at other times to make pilgrimages to him.
They were successful, and in 1856 he was received in Radovitz with great ceremony by the whole population.
Reb Yosef Alter was married to Leah, the granddaughter of Reb Moshe Tzvi of Savran .
Reb Yosef Alter did a lot to stimulate the Jewish community and he worked hand in hand with the community's Rabbi Schapira to increase the spirituality of the well-to-do. It is true that he sometimes had conflicts regarding the observance of the Sabbath, because as market day was Friday, some of them continued to work after the beginning of the Sabbath–something on Friday eve, that had much upset his father, Rabbi Chaim Hager, too.
Matters went so far that the rabbi temporarily moved his seat to Seret in protest at the defilement. His followers tried to get the culprits to reform in order to persuade the rabbi to return to Radovitz and their efforts were crowned with success. The rabbi came back.
All in all his stay in Radovitz was of considerable significance. The whole town, young and old, held him in great esteem and treated him with great respect for the whole of his twenty-year presence here.
Whenever something good happened in the rabbi's family everyone rejoiced with him. On Saturdays and holidays the local population would join in prayers with Hasidim who had traveled here, and also partake of the rabbi's meals.
In the year 1873 Reb Yosef Alter decided to emigrate to the Land of Israel in order to spend the last years of his life there. The pleas of his numerous friends and followers to give up this plan were to no avail. The rabbi stuck by his decision. But he did at least offer to leave his only son, Rabbi Moshe Hager in his place in Radovitz.
The departure of the old Rabbi turned into a great procession. An unbroken row of wagons extended from his home six kilometers to the train station in Hadikfalva. Many thousands of local and foreign Hasidim were very reluctant to say a final goodbye to their beloved Rabbi. [1]
After his departure, his only son, Rabbi Moshe Hager, took over his seat in Radovitz, while his elder son in law Rabbi Shmuel Schmelke Rubin (1840-1901), who was married to his daughter Chaya, began to lead a large group of Hasidim in nearby Seret (Siret).
Rabbi Schmelke's parents were Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin of Brody (Brod), the grandson of Rabbi Naftali Tzvi of Ropczyce (Ropschitz) and Eidel, who was the daughter of Rabbi Sholom Rokeach of Belz .
As Reb Schmelke began leading his following in Seret, his name became renowned throughout Bukovina as a wondrous miracle worker and brilliant leader. In time, his followers increased and opened up "Sereter" synagogues in many towns of Bukovina such as; Gura Homuruliu, Suceava and Radovitz. [2]
After Rabbi Schmelke's passing in 1901 the following shrank significantly. He was succeeded as Rebbe by his son Rabbi Pinchos Menachem Mendel Rubin (1870-1941). Rabbi Schmelke's son in law Rabbi Chaim Dachner served as the head of the rabbinic court in Siret.
Rabbi Mendel's eldest son was Rabbi Moses Josef Rubin of Câmpulung Moldovenesc (1892-1980) who was a prominent rabbi in pre-World War II Romania and post-war New York City. The renowned Halchachic authority Rabbi Meshulam Roth of Cernăuţi (1875-1962) was a son in law of Rabbi Mendel.
Rabbi Boruch Hager of the Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasty served as the official town rabbi in Seret during the years 1936-1941. After World War II he moved to Israel where he established a neighborhood called "Ramat Vizhnitz" in Haifa and became known as the Seret-Vizhnitzer Rebbe. After his death he was succeeded by his son Rabbi Eliezer Hager. Who was then succeeded by his son the current seret-vishnitz rebba, and his son inlaw rabbi naftali reuven kornreich , kosov vishnitz rebba of beis shemesh.
Virtually all members of the original Seret community perished in the Transnistria concentration camps (see Romania during World War II).
This dynasty ceased to exist during World War II. There are, however, several Hasidic dynasties that descend from the Seret dynasty, including the Muzhai, Sulitza, Sasregen, and Ropshitz groups (see Ropshitz (Hasidic dynasty))—all currently based in New York.
Vizhnitz is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager. Vizhnitz is the Yiddish name of Vyzhnytsia, a town in present-day Ukraine.
Shotz is a Hasidic dynasty originating in the city of Suceava, Romania.
Skver is a Chasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Yitzchok Twersky in the city of Skver, or Skvyra, in present-day Ukraine during the mid-19th century. Adherents of the rebbes of Skver are known as Skverer Hasidim.
Sulitza is a Hasidic dynasty originating in Sulitza (Sulița), Romania. The present Rebbe of Sulitza is Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel VeYeshurin Rubin. His synagogue is in Far Rockaway, Queens, NY.
Sadigura is a Hasidic dynasty named for the city of Sadhora, Bukovina, which belonged to Austria. The dynasty began in 1850 with Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman, a son of Rabbi Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhyn, and was based in Sadigura until 1914. During the interwar period the dynasty was led by Rebbes in Vienna and Przemyśl, Poland, and on the eve of World War II was transplanted to Israel, where it thrives to this day.
Rabbi David Twersky, originally spelled Twerski, is the Grand Rabbi and spiritual leader of the village of New Square, New York, and of Skverer Hasidism worldwide.
Ropshitz is the name of a Hasidic dynasty, or rabbinical family and group, who are descendants of Rabbi Naftali Zvi of Ropshitz (1760–1827). Ropshitz is the name of a town in southern Poland, known in Polish as Ropczyce.
Grand Rabbi Shraga Feivish Hager, also known as the Kosover Rebbe, is the rebbe of the Kosov Hasidic dynasty, a dayan, and noted orator. He is known as a creative and insightful thinker, whose original teachings are nevertheless rooted in Hasidic mystical tradition. He is also a powerful prayer-leader, and has attracted a large following among younger Hasidim.
Menachem Mendel Torem of Rimanov also known as Mendele Rimanover was a famous Hasidic Rebbe and one of the first five distributors of the Hasidic movement in Poland and Galicia together with Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin, Rabbi Yisrael Hopstein, Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apta, and Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Epstein.
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah is the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of the Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah movements in Israel; and of Agudath Israel of America in the United States. Members are usually prestigious Roshei Yeshiva or Hasidic rebbes, who are also usually regarded by many Haredi Jews to be the Gedolim ("great/est") sages of Torah Judaism. Before the Holocaust, it was the supreme authority for the World Agudath Israel in Europe.
Kosov is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager of Kosiv, a town in Galicia, presently in Ukraine.
Naftali Zvi Horowitz of Ropshitz was a Galician rebbe.
Skolya is a Hasidic dynasty named after the town of Skole in Eastern Galicia, where the founder of this dynasty lived and led his court.
Koidanov is a Hasidic dynasty originating from the city of Dzyarzhynsk (Koidanov), Belarus, where it was founded by Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Perlow in 1833. Koidanov is a branch of both Lechovitch Hasidism and Karlin-Stolin Hasidism as Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Perlow was the paternal grandson of Rabbi Mordechai of Lechovitch and the maternal grandson of Rabbi Asher of Stolin. Koidanov was the smallest of the three Lithuanian Hasidic dynasties, with most of its Hasidim being murdered in the Holocaust. The dynasty was re-established after the war in Tel Aviv, then moved to Bnei Brak, where the majority of the dynasty is located, but there are Chassidim located around the world.
Dinov is the name of a Hasidic dynasty, descended from Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov, also called "the Bnei Yisaschar" after his popular work: בני יששכר [Bene Yiśaśkhar]. Dinov is the Yiddish name of Dynów, a town in southern Poland, in the historic region of Galicia.
Linsk is the name of a Hasidic dynasty—a family of Hasidic leaders or rebbes and the group of their associated followers or chassidim—founded by Rabbi Avraham Chaim Horowitz of Linsk. Linsk is the Yiddish name of the town of Lesko in southern Poland.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager is one of the two Grand Rabbis of the Viznitz Hasidic dynasty in Bnei Brak and a current member of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of the Agudat Yisrael movement.
Mordechai Hager was the rebbe of the Hasidic sect of Vizhnitz for 46 years.
Rabbi Shimon Maryles (1758–1849) from Jarosław, also known as Rabbi Shimon Yerslover, was the founder of Yeruslav Hasidism.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager of Kosov, nicknamed the "Ahavat Shalom", was a Hasidic rebbe and founder of the Kosov dynasty, which he led from 1802 until his death in 1825. He is well-known for his book, The Love of Peace.
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