Hassidic Communities Mark High Holidays with Special Events and Prayers

Thousands of Satmar Hasidim gathered in Kiryas Joel, New York, for Rosh Hashanah, witnessing their Rebbe don ancestral robes passed down through generations. The holiday concluded with a traditional "tish" (gathering).

In a significant development for the Gur Hasidic dynasty, a historic agreement was reached on the eve of Rosh Hashanah between the dynasty and the community of Rabbi Gershon Alter. Mediated by a judge, the agreement saw parties accused of harassment take responsibility and commit to avoiding future incidents, while the plaintiffs agreed to drop financial claims, aiming for a fresh start.

Thousands of Vizhnitz Hasidim are called to pray for the recovery of their Rebbe, who is scheduled for a pacemaker implantation at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center. During the procedure, thousands are expected to gather for communal prayers.

Other Rosh Hashanah celebrations included large gatherings of Sanz Hasidim in Netanya, where the Rebbe led prayers and offered blessings for the health of several other Rebbes. The new Beit Midrash of the "Be'er Yitzchak" Yeshiva in Tal-Steun was inaugurated on the eve of Yom Kippur.

Hasidic leaders from various dynasties, including Toldos Aaron, Galanta, and others, visited Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shachter, the senior Rabbi of Breslov, for blessings. In Antwerp, Belgium, thousands of Hasidim attended Selichot prayers led by the Rebbe of Pshorsk.

As the year 5776 concluded, several Rebbes in Bnei Brak performed the custom of "Hatarat Nedarim" (annulment of vows) to enter the new year free of obligations. Rosh Hashanah services and gatherings were held in numerous Hasidic courts across Israel, including Vizhnitz, Sadigura, and others.

The Rebbe of Modzitz was hospitalized on the first night of Rosh Hashanah due to heart weakness but insisted on leaving the hospital to lead prayers on the holiday morning. In Uman, Ukraine, a seven-year-old Israeli child who went missing was found and returned to his parents. A birth also occurred near Rabbi Nachman's tomb in Uman.

Chabad Hasidim prepared for Rosh Hashanah by visiting their center in Kfar Chabad. The Rebbe of Sanz-Klausenburg returned to the United States after a visit to Israel, including prayers at the Western Wall. The Rebbe of Nadvorna visited his followers in Kiryat Gat for the first time.