"added to the traditional religious instruction received by students, and interest in a national Jewish identity, including a revival in the study of Jewish history and Hebrew, started to grow. Haskalah gave birth to the Reform and Conservative movements and planted the seeds of Zionism while at the same time encouraging cultural assimilation into the countries in which Jews resided. At around the same time another movement was born, one preaching almost the opposite of Haskalah, Hasidic Judaism. Hasidic Judaism began in the 18th century by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, and quickly gained a following with its more exuberant,"
"the Baal Shem Tov, who established the Hasidic movement Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel served as Machnifker Rebbe for 70 years, from 1917 to 1987. For many years in the USSR he defied the communist authorities by spreading the teachings of Judaism and Hasidism. After World War II he was invited by the Soviet authorities to serve as Chief Rabbi of the Soviet Union. His refusal to accept this position led to him being banished to Siberia. In 1965 he received permission to leave the Soviet Union and he emigrated to Bnei Brak, Israel. Machnovka (Hasidic dynasty) Machnovka (various spellings) is"
"pious members of community. The notion that unaffiliated and unobservant Jews are unwitting sinners who should be taught the Jewish laws and customs and welcomed into the Torah community is the basis for the many outreach organizations (""Kiruv"") that exist in the modern era, including Chabad, Aish Hatorah, Ohr Somayach and Gateways. The Baal Shem Tov (1698–1760), founder of the revivalist Hasidic movement, brought a mystical soul-dimension to the traditional Talmudic notions of the ""tinok shenishba"", and the ""Am ha-aretz"" (uneducated-boorish-rustic Jews). While the former terms derive from the pre-eminent status of Torah study in Rabbinic Jewish culture, their downside"
"(1700–1760), also known as the ""Ba'al Shem Tov"" (or ""Besht""). It originated in a time of persecution of the Jewish people when European Jews had turned inward to Talmud study; many felt that most expressions of Jewish life had become too ""academic"", and that they no longer had any emphasis on spirituality or joy. Its adherents favored small and informal gatherings called Shtiebel, which, in contrast to a traditional synagogue, could be used both as a place of worship and for celebrations involving dancing, eating, and socializing. Ba'al Shem Tov's disciples attracted many followers; they themselves established numerous Hasidic sects"
"Frank (1726–1791) in particular. The Baal Shem Tov witnessed Frank's public apostasy (""shmad"" in Hebrew) to Christianity, which compounded Zevi's earlier apostasy to Islam. The Baal Shem Tov was thus determined to encourage his influential disciples (talmidim) to launch a spiritual revolution in Jewish life in order to reinvigorate the Jewish masses' connections with Torah Judaism and to vigorously motivate them to bind themselves to the joyous observance of the commandments, worship, Torah study, and sincere belief in God, so that the lures of Christianity and Islam, and the appeal of the rising secular Enlightenment, to the Jewish masses would"
"known as the ""Ba'al Shem Tov"", instructed and sent small successive waves of their disciples to settle in Jerusalem, then under Turkish Ottoman rule. They created a Jewish religious infrastructure that remains the core of the ""Haredi"" Jewish community in Jerusalem to this day, currently led by the Edah HaChareidis. Some of the descendants of the Vilna Gaon's students established the extremely anti-Zionist Neturei Karta movement. The British Mandate of Palestine authorities created the new offices of ""Chief Rabbi"" in 1921 for both Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardic Jews with central offices in Jerusalem. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (d. 1935) moved"
"of interfaith marriage and a high birth rate, their numbers are growing rapidly. Their numbers have also been boosted by a substantial number of secular Jews adopting a Haredi lifestyle as part of the Baal teshuva movement. Hasidic Judaism, or ""Chasidism"", arose as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine during the 18th century, and spread rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most affiliates reside in the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom. Israel Ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov, is regarded as its founding father, and his disciples developed and disseminated it. Present-day Hasidism is a sub-group within"
"of life, in contrast to both secular Zionism and Haredi Orthodox movements. The spiritual and ideological founder of the Religious Zionist Movement was Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who urged young religious Jews to settle in Israel and called upon the secular Labor Zionists to pay more attention to Judaism. Rabbi Kook saw Zionism as part of a divine scheme that would result in a resettling of the Jewish people in its homeland, Israel, and, ultimately, the coming of the Messiah. The National Religious Party (NRP) was created by the merger of two parties - Mizrachi and Hapoel HaMizrachi - in"
"populance in their Jewish life. The 17th century destructions of Jewish communities, and wide loss of ability to access learning among the simple unlettered shtetl Jews, left the people at a spiritual low. Elite scholars felt distant from the masses, as traditional Judaism saw Talmudic learning as the main spiritual activity, while preachers could offer little popular solace with ethical admonishment. The Baal Shem Tov began a new articulation of Jewish mysticism, by relating its structures to direct psychological experience. His mystical explanations, parables and stories to the unlearned encouraged their emotional deveikus (fervour), especially through attachment to the Hasidic"
"captive, and 300 Jewish communities totally destroyed. The Cossack Uprising and the Deluge left a deep and lasting impression on the Jewish social and spiritual life. In this time of mysticism and overly formal rabbinism came the teachings of Israel ben Eliezer, known as the ""Baal Shem Tov"", or ""BeShT"", (1698–1760), which had a profound effect on the Jews of Eastern Europe. His disciples taught and encouraged a new fervent brand of Judaism, related to ""Kabbalah"", known as Hasidism. The rise of Hasidism had a great influence on the rise of Haredi Judaism, with a continuous influence through its many"
"spread throughout the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. Geographically, the Hasidic movement originated in Mezhbizh, where the movement's founder, Yisroel ben Eliezer made his home, Beis Medrash (a synagogue and place of Torah study), held court, and is buried. He came to be known as the Baal Shem Tov (""master [of the] good name"" in Hebrew) abbreviated as BESHT, a name that was given to various Jewish miracle workers in the Middle Ages. Besides the position of the Mezhbizh dynasty as a ""trunk"" of Hasidic Judaism, an important branch of Hasidism led by the Baal Shem Tov's descendants and heirs"
"Breslov (Hasidic group) Breslov (also Bratslav, also spelled Breslev) is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism. Its adherents strive to develop an intense, joyous relationship with God and receive guidance toward this goal from the teachings of Rebbe Nachman. The movement has had no central, living leader for the past 200 years, as Rebbe Nachman did not designate a successor. As such, they are sometimes referred to as the טויטער חסידים (the ""Dead Hasidim""), since they have never had another formal Rebbe since Nachman's"
"Nachman of Breslov Nachman of Breslov (), also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover (), Nachman from Uman (April 4, 1772 – October 16, 1810), was the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement. Rebbe Nachman, a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, revived the Hasidic movement by combining the esoteric secrets of Judaism (the Kabbalah) with in-depth Torah scholarship. He attracted thousands of followers during his lifetime, and his influence continues today through many Hasidic movements such as Breslov Hasidism. Rebbe Nachman's religious philosophy revolved around closeness to God and speaking to God in normal conversation ""as"
"in Tel Aviv, with an assistance of 6.000 people, including some dignataries and local politicians. In 2006, three membres of the Israeli government, members of the Likud political party, attended the Bnei Baruch's conference. In the year 2011, in a period of internal turmoil in Israel due the Arab spring, the ""Bnei Baruch"" association started the Arvut movement (mutual responsibility), a non-political social movement. Bnei Baruch Bnei Baruch (also known as Kabbalah Laam, ) is an universalist kabbalah association founded by Rabbi Michael Laitman in the early 1990s. It is estimated to have around 50,000 followers in Israel, and some"
"to found the Chut Shel Chessed Institutions in Jerusalem. Arush leads a group including Sephardic followers of Breslov Hasidut, who mainly originated in the baal teshuva movement. Other Breslov rabbis engaged in outreach include , rabbi of the Shir Chadash community in Tel Aviv, and Shalom Sabag. The Na Nach group, which follows the teachings of Rabbi Yisroel Ber Odesser, conducts on-the-street outreach with its roving musical vans and dancers, and sidewalk distribution of Breslov texts. Breslov (Hasidic group) Breslov (also Bratslav, also spelled Breslev) is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), a great-grandson"
"in practice about a quarter of them have a traditionalist lifestyle. Various Orthodox organizations operate in Israel with the aim of getting non-Orthodox Jews embrace Orthodox Judaism. Notable examples are the Chasidic movements Chabad and Breslov whom has gained much popularity among the Baalei teshuva, the organizations Arachim and Yad LeAchim who initiate seminars in Judaism, and the organization Aish HaTorah. On the other hand, Among the religious and Orthodox groups in Israel, many individuals chose to part from the religious lifestyle and embrace a secular lifestyle (they are referred to as Yotz'im bish'ela). A research conducted in 2011 estimated"
"Hebrew Roots The Hebrew Roots Movement is a religious movement that advocates the return and adherence to the first century walk of faith and obedience to the Torah by seeking a better understanding of the culture, history, and religio-political backdrop of that era which led to the core differences with both the Jewish, and later, the Christian communities. Since the early 20th century, different religious organizations have been teaching a belief in Yeshua (Jesus) as mankind's redeemer and savior from man's own sinful nature and a lifestyle in keeping with the Torah, the Sabbath and the annual Feasts (or ""moedim"","
"called Hapoel Hamizrachi. It represented religiously traditional Labour Zionists, both in Europe and in the Land of Israel, where it represented religious Jews in the Histadrut. In 1956, Mizrachi, Hapoel HaMizrachi, and other religious Zionists formed the National Religious Party to advance the rights of religious Zionist Jews in Israel. Other parties and groups affiliated with religious Zionism are Gush Emunim, Tkuma, and Meimad. A radical branch of religious Zionism, Kahanism was founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose party, Kach, was eventually banned for racism. Today, Otzma Yehudit is the leading wing of this school of thought. The flagship religious"
"network of religious schools that exist to this day. In 1937-1948, the Religious Kibbutz Movement established three settlement blocs of three kibbutzim each. The first was in the Beit Shean Valley, the second was in the Hebron mountains south of Bethlehem (known as Gush Etzion), and the third was in the western Negev. Kibbutz Yavne was founded in the center of the country as the core of a fourth bloc that came into being after the establishment of the state. The Labor Movement wing of Religious Zionism, founded in 1921 under the Zionist slogan ""Torah va'Avodah"" (Torah and Labor), was"
"by Rabbi Yonatan Neril, and Shorashim/Roots, a peace group founded in 2014 in the West Bank by both settlers and Palestinians that focuses on land issues. In contemporary Jewish liturgy, ecological concerns have been especially promoted by adapting the kabbalistic ritual of conducting a seder for the New Year of the trees, Tu Bishvat. Biblical and rabbinic texts have also been enlisted for prayers about the environment in all the liberal movements, especially in Reform Judaism and Jewish Renewal movements. Perhaps most emblematic of the nexus of Judaism and the environment is the growth of the primary Jewish environmental event"
"the first exponent of the philosophical system within the Baal Shem Tov's new teachings and doctrines, and one of its most important propagators. He became the architect of the new movement, devoting his attention to developing an academy of leading scholars and future leaders (the ""Chevra Kaddisha""-Holy Society) to spread Hasidism across each of the regions of Western Europe after his death. His teachings appear in the volume ""Magid Devarav L'Yaakov"". His inner circle of disciples included Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, Rabbi Aharon (HaGadol) of Karlin, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk,"
"ben Eliezer, known as the ""Baal Shem Tov"", or ""BeShT"", (1698–1760), which had a profound effect on the Jews of Eastern Europe and Poland in particular. His disciples taught and encouraged the new fervent brand of Orthodox Judaism based on Kabbalah known as Hasidism. One of those great disciples and teachers was Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk (1717–1786). Many of these disciples became Rebbes themselves with followings, as with the Gerer Hasidic dynasty which was begun by Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter (1798–1866). Hasidism gave a ready response to the burning desire of the common people in its simple, stimulating, and comforting"
"paternal concern for their needs and his pleasant and humble personality. Schwartzman was one of the fathers of the Israeli ""baal teshuva"" movement. In the early 1970s, he co-founded the first yeshiva for ""baalei teshuva"", Shema Yisrael, with Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Rabbi Nota Schiller, and Rabbi Noach Weinberg. After this yeshiva evolved into Ohr Somayach yeshiva, Schwartzman continued on as a rosh yeshiva, delivering ""shiurim"" and guiding the staff in establishing policies for the new and untested field of ""baal teshuva"" education. Schwartzman's health worsened in his last years, forcing him to give up his duties as rosh yeshiva of"
"Washington. For environmentalists it has co-hosted programs with the Canfei Nesharim organization that provides: ""a Torah based approach to understand and act on the relationship between traditional Jewish sources and modern environmental issues...which explores environmentalism through the lens of Halacha (Jewish law) and traditional Jewish sources. The new initiative is known as Maayan Olam: the Silver Spring Torah and Environmental Group... endorsed by the Silver Spring Orthodox congregations Young Israel-Shomrai Emunah, Kemp Mill Synagogue."" Congregation Shomrai Emunah was established in 1951 when several Jewish individuals formed a worship group in Chillum, Maryland. Rabbi Abraham A. Kellner was the first spiritual"
"was that in the 17–18th century Eastern Europe in which Hasidism emerged, their elitist notions contributed to the physical and spiritual hardship and disenfranchisement of the common Jewish folk from deeper Jewish affiliation. Adjusting the former hierarchy of values, the Baal Shem Tov taught that the simple, sincere common Jewish folk could be closer to God than the scholars, for whom pride may affect their scholarly achievements, and the elite scholars could envy and learn lessons in devotion from the uneducated community. The Baal Shem Tov and later Hasidic masters made ""deveikut"" the central principle in Jewish spirituality, teaching that"
"Rebbe established a hasidic court with the permission of his brother, the Karlin-Stoliner Rebbe. In 2014, the Rebbe's oldest son, Reb Dovid Yehoshua Shochet, moved to Los Angeles, California and established a shteibel, Kahal Chasidim Shearis Yaakov, with the blessing of his father. In Jerusalem, some of the Karliner Hasidim wear the traditional garb of Jerusalem Haredim on Shabbat, the golden caftan. The founder of the dynasty, Rebbe Aharon the Great, was a disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch, who was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism. The main Hasidic book of the Karliner chasidim"
"whom He wishes and that He owes no accounting to anyone for His choices."" Rabbi Norman Lamm, a leader of Modern Orthodox Judaism wrote: ""The chosenness of Israel relates exclusively to its spiritual vocation embodied in the Torah; the doctrine, indeed, was announced at Sinai. Whenever it is mentioned in our liturgy—such as the blessing immediately preceding the Shema...it is always related to Torah or Mitzvot (""commandments""). This spiritual vocation consists of two complementary functions, described as ""Goy Kadosh"", that of a holy nation, and ""Mamlekhet Kohanim"", that of a kingdom of priests. The first term denotes the development of"
"serious schism evolved between the Hasidic and non-Hasidic Jews. The Hasidim dubbed any Jews who rejected the Hasidic movement as ""misnagdim"" (""opponents""). Critics of Hasidic Judaism expressed concern that Hasidism might become a messianic sect as had occurred among the followers of both Sabbatai Zevi and Jacob Frank. However ""The Baal Shem Tov"", the founder of Hasidism, came at a time when the Jewish masses of Eastern Europe were reeling in bewilderment and disappointment engendered by the two Jewish false messiahs Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676) and Jacob Frank (1726–1791) in particular. Some scholars have noted that the Sabbatean movement in general"
"created and led one of the first modern environmental seders, incorporating liturgy from the Kabbalists with information from Israeli environmental groups like Neot Kedumim (“Ancient Fields,” a conservancy group devoted to Biblical species), and Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI). By the late-1970s, Jewish groups around the country were innovating rituals for Tu biSh’vat that connected Biblical and rabbinic teachings with material from the Kibbutz movement or JNF and with current environmental concerns. In the 1980s dozens of homemade Tu biSh’vat liturgical books or haggadot modeled after the Passover seder were being used around the country to"
"Religious Kibbutz Movement The Religious Kibbutz Movement (, ""HaKibbutz HaDati"") is an organizational framework for Orthodox kibbutzim in Israel. Its membership includes 22 communities, 16 of them traditional kibbutzim, and 6 others in the category of Moshav shitufi, meaning that they have no communal dining hall or children's house but maintain a shared economy. The Religious Kibbutz Movement has about 15,000 members. It is not part of the secular Kibbutz Movement with its c. 230 kibbutzim, and it does not include the two Poalei Agudat Yisrael-affiliated religious kibbutzim. The Religious Kibbutz Movement was founded in 1935 by groups of Jewish"
"Gush Emunim Gush Emunim (, ""Bloc of the Faithful"") was an Israeli Orthodox Jewish, messianic, right-wing activist movement committed to establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights. While not formally established as an organization until 1974 in the wake of the Yom Kippur War, Gush Emunim sprang out of the conquests of the Six-Day War in 1967, encouraging Jewish settlement of the land based on the belief that, according to the Torah, God gave it to the Jewish people. While Gush Emunim no longer exists officially, vestiges of its influence remain in Israeli"
"Bnei Akiva Bnei Akiva (, 'Children of Akiva') is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 42 countries. It was established in 1929 in Mandatory Palestine. Bnei Akiva was established as the youth wing of the Mizrachi movement. Bnei Akiva first came into existence in the late 1920s, following World War I. Concurrent with the establishment of the movement in pre-independence Israel, organizations of religious youth operated in the Diaspora. Some of them adopted the name Bnei Akiva and others had appellations such as Hashomer Hadati. Twenty-five years later (1958), the Israeli and"
"Lev Tahor Lev Tahor (, 'pure heart') is an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect, which follows an austere form of Jewish practice. The group, founded by Shlomo Helbrans, generally follows a strict version of halakha, including its own unique practices such as lengthy prayer sessions, arranged marriages between teenagers, and black, head-to-toe coverings for women beginning at age 3. It has been referred to as a cult. The group has moved frequently, with the majority of its members most recently fleeing the Guatemalan town of San Juan La Laguna in August 2014, prior to which they had fled government child welfare agencies"