Descendants Restore and Honor Lubomaz Rebbe's Warsaw Gravesite on 100th Yahrzeit

The 100th anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Lubomaz, a revered Polish Hasidic leader and grandson of the Kotzk and Radzin rebbes, was commemorated this week in Warsaw. Known as one of the righteous figures of his generation and father-in-law to many prominent Polish rebbes, including the Sfat Emet of Gur and the Divrei Shmuel of Salon, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch's gravesite had been destroyed during the Holocaust and lost for decades.

The original ohel (grave structure) was erected shortly after his death in 1926 but was completely destroyed during World War II. Efforts to locate the grave resumed in the 1980s, led initially by the Gur Rebbe and later by Rabbi Mendel Tsishinsky, who ultimately rediscovered the site. The ohel was rebuilt in 1989 and underwent further renovations about 20 years later, spearheaded by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern, a descendant of the Lubomaz rebbe.

Recently, the ohel required urgent repairs due to structural deterioration. Rabbi Shlomo Kopolovitz was commissioned to restore it thoroughly, with support from the Morgenstern family in New York and the Polish Heritage Culture Foundation under Michał Łaczkowski’s leadership. The restoration was facilitated by Rabbi Yitzchak Pinchas Etzioni, a Gur Hasid living in Warsaw.

The centennial memorial event gathered descendants of the Lubomaz rebbe, including sons and sons-in-law of the Gur Rebbe, and members of the Lubomaz synagogue in Bnei Brak, established in his memory. The ceremony included prayers at the ohel, lighting of the eternal flame by Rabbi Nehemia Alter, and a tribute on the cemetery’s main street. Speakers expressed gratitude to the Jewish community of Warsaw and the foundation for their support. The Morgenstern family presented a certificate of appreciation to Michał Łaczkowski for his active role in the restoration.

Additionally, the descendants convened at the historic Gur synagogue in Poland, where participants received a newly published edition of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch’s work "Zera Emes," sponsored by Rabbi Yosef Aryeh Feldman of Montreal, a descendant of the author. This event marked a significant revival of the Lubomaz rebbe’s legacy and heritage in Poland after a century of upheaval.