Political Storm Erupts Over Avigdor Lieberman’s Connection to Rabbi Rivnitz

A fierce political controversy has erupted in Israel following sharp remarks by renowned Hasidic singer Mordechai Ben David against Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party. The dispute centers on the late Rabbi Chaim Zanvil Abramovitz of Rivnitz, a revered Hasidic leader known for his ascetic practices, including fasting and immersing in icy rivers. Lieberman regards the Rabbi as a formative spiritual figure from his childhood, while Ben David, who was personally close to the Rabbi, harshly questioned Lieberman’s claimed connection.

The conflict ignited during a Yiddish podcast interview with journalist Shlomi Zayanz, where Ben David responded to claims that the Rabbi served as Lieberman’s mohel by saying, "I think he didn’t cut in the right place. They should have cut off his head." Despite the interviewer’s objections and noting Lieberman’s respect for the Rabbi, Ben David maintained his critical stance but ended with a conciliatory hope that Lieberman would fully repent.

For Ben David, the Rabbi’s influence is deeply personal. After the Rabbi’s arrival in the U.S. in the 1970s, Ben David became one of his closest followers and served as his personal attendant for years. He credits the Rabbi with inspiring his 1978 album "Ahavti Tefilati," helped arrange the Rabbi’s remarriage, and later dedicated a famous song and a book to his life.

Yisrael Beiteinu condemned Ben David’s remarks as "moral disgrace and incitement to murder." Lieberman, however, expressed pride in his past ties to the Rabbi, recalling the Rabbi’s blessings at his circumcision and bar mitzvah. In a 2019 article, Lieberman described the Rabbi as a spiritual and moral authority who fostered peace among Jews despite Soviet oppression. Lieberman contrasted the Rabbi’s inclusive approach with what he sees as today’s divisive ultra-Orthodox leadership, calling for a Judaism that is embracing and unifying rather than rigid and alienating.