Who Will Lead Us? : The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in America / Samuel C. Heilman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Heilman, Samuel C., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hasidism.

Leadership--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Leadership.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (337 pages) : illustrations, photographs

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [2017]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Hasidism, a movement many believed had passed its golden age, has had an extraordinary revival since it was nearly decimated in the Holocaust and repressed in the Soviet Union. Hasidic communities, now settled primarily in North America and Israel, have reversed the losses they suffered and are growing exponentially. With powerful attachments to the past, mysticism, community, tradition, and charismatic leadership, Hasidism seems the opposite of contemporary Western culture, yet it has thrived in the democratic countries and culture of the West. How? Who Will Lead Us? finds the answers to this question in the fascinating story of five contemporary Hasidic dynasties and their handling of the delicate issue of leadership and succession. Revolving around the central figure of the rebbe, the book explores two dynasties with too few successors, two with too many successors, and one that believes their last rebbe continues to lead them even after his death. Samuel C. Heilman, recognized as a foremost expert on modern Jewish Orthodoxy, here provides outsiders with the essential guide to continuity in the Hasidic world.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Illustrations

Prologue

1. Succession in Contemporary Hasidism: Who Will Lead Us?

2. Munkács: An Oedipal Challenge

3. Boyan and Kopyczynitz: Running Out of Rebbes

4. Bobov: A Clash of Families

5. Satmar: Succession Charged with Conflict

6. ChaBaD Lubavitch: A Rebbe Who Never Dies

Final Thoughts

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 20. Sep 2019)

ISBN:

9780520966482

0520966481

OCLC:

961098750