Historic Elijah’s Chair Displayed at Macawa Hasidic Bris Ceremony in Bnei Brak

A bris ceremony was recently held at the Macawa Hasidic study hall in Bnei Brak to celebrate the birth of the great-grandson of the Macawa Gaavad from Kiryat Ata, who is also the grandson of Rabbi Israel Yaakov Lemberger, the rabbi of the Macawa community in Bnei Brak. The event featured the display of the sacred Elijah’s Chair, historically used by Rabbi Moshe Farhand, the founder of the Macawa dynasty and author of the 'Ohel Moshe'.

This chair is considered a holy and historic artifact within Hasidic tradition and is currently preserved at the Macawa study hall in Bnei Brak. According to tradition, the chair survived the Holocaust in Hungary intact, was brought to Israel, and continues to be used for brit milah ceremonies of the dynasty’s descendants and community members. The Hasidim attribute great spiritual merit to the chair, believing it brings fear of heaven, health, and success, based on the many brit milah ceremonies sanctified by Rabbi Moshe Farhand before World War II.

In 1994, a jubilee trip with 300 Hasidim included 50 who remembered brit milah ceremonies performed on the chair. Rabbi Avraham Yechiel Lemberger, grandson of the 'Ohel Moshe' and rabbi of the Macawa community in Bnei Brak, wished to bring the chair to Israel. With the help of his trusted servant, Rabbi Betzalel Dim, the chair was carefully dismantled and transported by special vehicle to Budapest airport. After obtaining official permits arranged by Elazar David Margali, chairman of the Macawa World Committee, the chair was shipped to Israel in special preservation packaging.

Today, the chair remains preserved in the Macawa study hall and will soon undergo special conservation work. The ceremony was documented by photographer Shuki Lerer, capturing the historic moment of the ancient chair’s use at the bris.