Bobov-45

Bobov-45 (45-חסידות באבוב) is a Hasidic group within Haredi Judaism originating in Bobowa, Galicia in Southern Poland ? and now headquartered in the neighborhood of Borough Park in Brooklyn, New York. Bobov-45 has branches in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, Monsey, New York, and Manchester and London, England. In Israel, Bobov-45 has branches in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Elad, and Betar Illit.

Grand Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger is the current Rebbe of Bobov-45. He is the son-in-law of the Fourth Bobover Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Naftali Zvi Halberstam.

History

In 2005, after the death of the Fourth Bobover Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Naftali Halberstam, a small portion of former Bobover Hasidim started a center in Brooklyn on 45th Street under the leadership of Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger, Grand Rabbi Naftali Halberstam's younger son in law. A leadership dispute arose between Unger and Rabbi Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, brother of the previous Rebbe and son of the Third Bobover Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, who both claimed the title of Bobover Rebbe. The dispute was taken to an arbitration panel known as a Beth Din, which ruled that the faction following Rabbi Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam had the right to the name "Bobov". Grand Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger, leader of the new faction, was allowed to use the name Bobov with use of an added distinguishing identifier, the term "45" was added as an indication of street name where grand hall where the services took place at that time. Based on the volume of members in the communities, and to satisfy the inheritance claims, Bobov was ordered by the Beth Din to pay $6.2 million to Bobov-45 in 25 quarterly installments to Bobov-45 Rebbe and Bobov-45 Rav, to compensate their share of the assets from the larger Bobov enterprise value approximated at over 100 million dollars at the time of the arbitration court's ruling.

Leadership

Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger (b. 1954) is the first Grand Rabbi of Bobov-45 dynasty. He is the younger son-in-law of the Fourth Bobover Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Naftali Zvi Halberstam.

Rabbi Yehoshua Rubin is the current Rav of Bobov-45. He is the older son-in-law the Fourth Bobover Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Naftali Zvi Halberstam.

Rabbi Unger is the Spiritual leader of the Bobov-45 community (Rebbe), while Rabbi Rubin heads the Rabbinical leadership of the Bobov-45 community (Dayan and Rav)

Bobov-45 literature

In addition to those books revered by all Hasidim, the Bobov-45er Hasidim particularly treasure the teachings of the fourth Bobover Rebbe. The versions of the siddur used by Bobov-45 Hasidim is called Tfilas Rav.