Yaakov Meir Shechter (born November 6, 1930) is a prominent rabbi and teacher in the Breslov Hasidic movement in Israel. He is a well-known kabbalist and a rosh yeshiva of both the main Breslov Yeshiva in Meah Shearim, Jerusalem, and the Non-Breslov Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva in Mekor Baruch. [1] His lectures, both in oral and written form, emphasize the application of Breslov and other related Chassidic and non-Chassidic teachings to the challenges of life and the pursuit of spiritual growth.
Yaakov Meir Shechter was born in the Old City of Jerusalem to a prominent Breslover family headed by his father, Rabbi Dovid Shechter. During his youth in the Old City, Shechter learned from Breslov elders of the previous generation — especially Rabbi Abraham Sternhartz, who had immigrated to Israel from Uman, Ukraine in 1936.
The Shechter family was expelled from the Old City together with the rest of the Jewish population by the Jordanian army during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. They resettled in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem, where a Breslov yeshiva was founded. Later, the family moved again to the Meah Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem near the main Breslov yeshiva, which was founded in 1953.
Shechter is widely regarded as the leading figure of the faction of Breslov which is connected to the larger Ashkenazi Hasidic community, centered in Meah Shearim.
Thousands of people from all over the world and from all backgrounds flock to him for guidance on all matters, and for his blessings.
A selection of Shechter's talks from Leket Amarim (A Collection of Talks) was translated into English as In All Your Ways: A Guide to Avodas Hashem (Moznaim Publishers). This work incorporates Shechter's broad knowledge of Talmud, Midrash, Mussar, Breslov Hasidut, and Kabbalah into an inspirational guide for the spiritual seeker. Archived 2011-06-12 at the Wayback Machine
Breslov is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism. Its adherents strive to develop an intense, joyous relationship with God, and receive guidance toward this goal from the teachings of Rebbe Nachman.
Schachter, Schächter or Schechter is a Yiddish and German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Mea Shearim is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem outside of the Old City. It is populated by Haredi Jews, and was built by members of the Old Yishuv.
Eliyahu Chaim Rosen (1899–1984) was a respected rabbi and leader of the Breslov Hasidim in Uman, Ukraine before World War II. After immigrating to Israel in 1936, he founded the Breslover Yeshiva in Jerusalem and served as its rosh yeshiva for decades.
Yisrael Noah Weinberg was an Orthodox rabbi and the founder of Aish HaTorah.
Toldos Aharon is a devout, insular, fervently anti-Zionist Hasidic group. The group is characterized by extreme conservatism and a desire to preserve the life of the old Yishuv in Jerusalem, in sharp opposition to Zionism, in a strict Haredi way of life, in a special style of clothing, and in an emphasis on prayer at a moderate pace and with enthusiasm. Headquartered in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood, it also has significant numbers in Ramat Beit Shemesh, and New York City, and additional members in Tiberias and in Harish. The sect has about 1,800 households. Toldos Aharon is a split-off from Shomer Emunim. It is led by its Rebbe, Dovid Kohn.
The Charedi Council of Jerusalem is a large Haredi Jewish communal organization based in Jerusalem, with several thousands affiliated households. It is led by an independent rabbinical court, chaired by the Gaon Convenor, acronymed Ga'avad, and operated by the Rabbi Convenor, Ra'avad. The Council provides facilities such as dietary laws supervision, ritual baths, a Sabbath enclosure, and welfare services. The Council was founded in 1921 by devout Ashkenazi residents of Jerusalem, especially of the Old Yishuv, who refused to be affiliated in any way with the new Zionist institutions.
Ohel is a structure built around a Jewish grave as a sign of prominence of the deceased. Ohelim cover the graves of some Hasidic Rebbes, important rabbis, tzadikim, prominent Jewish community leaders, and biblical figures. Typically a small masonry building, an ohel may include room for visitors to pray, meditate, and light candles in honor of the deceased.
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.
The Ohel Yitzchak Synagogue also known as the Shomrei ha-Chomos Synagogue and the Ungarin Shul is located in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was built as a yeshiva in the 1870s by Kolel Shomrei HaChomos, an organization of Hungarian Jews, but was abandoned after the riots of 1938. Although the building was destroyed after 1948, it has recently been acquired by a Religious Zionist group for refurbishment and was reopened after restoration work finished in October 2008.
Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok is a Hasidic group located in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood. It is an offshoot of the Hasidic group Toldos Aharon, which is in turn an offshoot of Shomer Emunim. It is led by its Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Kohn.
Gedaliah Aharon Koenig, an Israeli rabbi and Breslover Hasid in Jerusalem, Israel, was the driving force behind the establishment of the Breslov community in Safed, which was led by his son, Rabbi Elazar Mordechai Koenig, and now by another son, Rabbi Ephraim Koenig.
Beit Yisrael is a predominantly Haredi neighborhood in central Jerusalem. It is located just north of Mea Shearim on Ha-Rav Zonenfeld St 13.
The Sikrikim or Sikarikim are an extremist group of radical Haredi Jews based mainly in the Israeli Haredi neighborhoods Meah Shearim in Jerusalem and in Ramat Beit Shemesh. The anti-Zionist group is thought to have roughly 100 activist members. The Sikrikim gained international attention for acts of violence they committed against Orthodox Jewish institutions and individuals who would not comply with their demands.
Shmuel HaNavi Street is a main road in north-central Jerusalem. It starts at the intersection of St. George and Shivtei Israel Streets near Highway 60, and merges into Golda Meir Boulevard just past the intersection of Bar-Ilan and Hativat Harel Streets. The continuation of the street winds up to the tomb of Samuel the prophet, after whom the street is named.
Kiryat Shomrei Emunim is a Hasidic Jewish neighborhood in western Jerusalem. It was founded in the early 1960s by the Shomrei Emunim Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Roth.
David Refael ben-Ami was an Israeli singer. In 1970, he recorded the song "Desdemona," which was composed for him by Mati Caspi and written by Gad Kaynar. In 1971, Desdemona reached the top of the Israeli Hit Parade.
Zvi Aryeh Benzion Rosenfeld was an American rabbi and educator credited with introducing Breslov Hasidism to the United States. Teaching children, teens, and adults in New York City for nearly three decades, he inspired a large percentage of his students from non-religious and Modern Orthodox homes to become Hasidic, and also acquainted them with the teachings of the 19th-century Hasidic master Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. He led the first official group of American Breslovers to Rebbe Nachman's grave in Uman, Ukraine, in 1963, and arranged for the first English translation of two key Breslov texts, Shivchei HaRan and Sichot HaRan. He was also an active supporter of the Breslov community in Israel, raising charity funds on behalf of needy families and the majority of funds for the construction of the Breslov Yeshiva in the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Rabbi Yaakov Peretz is a respected Posek and Rosh Yeshiva in Israel.
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