Thousands Celebrate Major Hasidic Events in Bnei Brak and Beyond

Thousands of Belz Hasidim gathered on Saturday night for a large-scale Pidyon Haben (redemption of the firstborn) ceremony for the grandson of the Belz Rebbe. During Shabbat, the Rebbe also recited the Birkat HaGomel blessing and instituted a historic custom for all Hasidic women to light an additional candle at Shabbat onset for the souls of the lost. Meanwhile, the Rebbe of Shatz Vizhnitz, residing in Haifa, conducted Shabbat at the Sephardic seminary in Bnei Brak to mark the Aufruf (pre-wedding celebration) of his grandson, son of Rabbi Aharon Polak, the rabbi of the Chernobyl community in Har Yona.

In Jerusalem, hundreds of Karlin-Stolin Hasidim celebrated the completion of the Talmud tractate Shabbat and the beginning of Eruvin in a gathering led by the Karlin-Stolin Rebbe and guest Rabbi Chaim Yosef Biderman. Following tensions that forced the relocation of a bar mitzvah celebration from the Karlin-Stolin synagogue in Givat Ze'ev to a large tent, the Rebbe of Rachmastrivka sent a delegation to reconcile with the Karlin Rebbe, who warmly received them.

Additional notable events included the Vizhnitz Rebbe organizing a wedding for his grandson with thousands attending, the Mahnovka Belz Rebbe affixing mezuzot at his new Jerusalem study hall and honoring community supporter Moti Babchik, and the Satmar Rebbe visiting summer camps in the Catskills, laying a cornerstone and dancing with supporters. Other Hasidic leaders held ceremonies such as brit milah (circumcision) and synagogue inaugurations across Israel and Brooklyn.

These gatherings reflect the vibrant spiritual life and communal solidarity among Hasidic groups in Israel and the diaspora, marked by traditional prayers, joyous dancing, and religious customs. The events also highlight ongoing efforts to maintain unity amid occasional internal disputes.