Hasidism in Israel ─ A History of the Hasidic Movement and Its Masters in the Holy Land

The movement was Hasidism, the cataclysmic force that wiped away the narrow intellectualism that had estranged the Jewish masses from their heritage. Hasidism focused upon fundamental Judaism, on sublimely simple principles that stressed the joy of life, love of man, and sincerity in word and deed, qualities that the common people potentially possessed in full measure. The hasidic link with the Land of Israel is strong indeed. Apart from the United States of America, Israel now has the largest number of hasidim, probably numbering more than two hundred thousand. They are known by the dress they wear, by the way they speak, and by the melodies they hum. This is the first work of its kind to study the history and development of the hasidic community in Israel, from its foundation in the eighteenth century to the present.

Tzvi Rabinowicz, a descendant of famous hasidic families in Poland, was the regional rabbi of Cricklewood, Willesden and Brondesbury Synagogues in London. He obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of London, where he was also awarded a Ph.D. for his thesis entitled, "The Life and Times of Rabbi Joseph Colon (1420-1480)," a study of Italian Jewry during the Renaissance. He received a Rabbinical Diploma from Jews' College, London.