Philip Rubenstein
Hasidism, Part 2: Dynasty, Calamity, and Recovery
Summary
In the second part of the history of Hasidism, Philip Rubenstein explores the movement’s resilience over 300 years, likening it to the flight of a bumblebee—defying predictions of demise. Despite opposition from critics, including the Maskilim and the Orthodox establishment, Hasidism thrives and experiences a golden age in the 19th century. The establishment of Rebbe’s courts, dynastic traditions, and rituals like the Tisch are highlighted as contributions to its growth. Part 2 of 2.
Philip Rubenstein
Philip Rubenstein was director of the Parliamentary War Crimes Group, which, in the mid-to-late 1980s, campaigned to bring Nazi war criminals living in the UK to justice. Philip was also the founder-director of the Holocaust Educational Trust and played a role in getting the study of the Shoah onto the national school’s curriculum in the UK. These days, he works with family businesses, advising on governance and continuity from one generation to the next.
It was a medal he was given for his services to education by the Austria-Hungarian state.
No, I don’t think that was the case at all, there was a certain amount of fluidity. But there tended to be dominant groups in different areas. But certainly, there were some areas where there were some clashes.
CHABAD is an acronym. It stands for “Chochmah, Binah, Daat,” which is “Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge.” Chabad is what many of them called themselves. Lubavitch only came about later as a name when they actually left Lubavitch for Warsaw, and then for Crown Heights.