The leader of a faction that broke away from Ger, Israel’s largest Chasidic grouping, is planning to visit overseas communities in a unity drive.
Rabbi Shaul Alter is set to visit Ger Chasidim in the United States but it is unclear if British communities are on his itinerary.
Ger is the largest Chasidic group in Israel and, together with Chabad and Satmar, one the three largest worldwide.
It officially split two weeks ago when a few hundred Chasidim defied orders from the Gerrer Rebbe Rabbi Yaakov Alter and joined prayers organised by the followers of Rabbi Shaul, his cousin, on Hoshana Raba and Simchat Torah.
The two Rabbi Alters are both sons of previous Gerrer Rebbes and there has been tension between them for the past 27 years since Rabbi Yaakov became Rebbe.
In its 160 years of existence Ger has traditionally been built around a fanatical devotion to the Rebbe, whose edicts control every facet of Chasidim lives, including the most intimate. That remains the case to this day.
However ever since he became Rebbe, many Chasidim have quietly complained of Rabbi Yaakov’s distant manner and lack of charisma.
In this he contrasted sharply with Rabbi Shaul, who was the Rosh Yeshiva, or dean, of the main Ger Yeshiva, who has a folksy open manner, as well as being admired for his wide knowledge of Torah.
In recent years many Ger Hassidim had chafed over Rabbi Yaakov’s increasingly austere orders, as demands of fealty and centralised control became more stringent.
These impacted Rabbi Shaul’s admirers, who were forbidden to fundraise independently, and his regular sermons were curtailed.
“The schism has been 27 years in the making,” said one Ger Hassid last week. “If it didn’t happen now, it would happen when the Rebbe died, as there’s no way that Shaul’s supporters would accept Yaakov’s sons instead of him.”
The split was largely triggered now by the attempts of the Rebbe’s retainers to take control of Ger institutes in the United States. While the community there is smaller, it is financially significant for Ger fundraising and, being further away and less beholden to the leadership in Israel, much more open in their admiration for Rabbi Shaul.
The support of the American Chasidim was a major factor in the breakaway group’s decision to make their move. They will need a lot of money to set up their own shuls, schools and yeshivas, since the rebels and their children are now excluded.
The number of Ger Hassidim worldwide is estimated at around 80,000, with about three-quarters of them living in Israel. At this point the breakaway faction probably constitutes no more than a quarter of the population.
The split is also unlikely to diminish the major influence the Rebbe has on Israeli politics through his pivotal position on the Council of Torah Sages of the Chasidic faction of United Torah Judaism party, and upon the politicians on the local and national level who represent him, including the powerful deputy health minister Yaakov Litzman.
But the schism in Ger will almost certainly widen and, as Rabbi Shaul sets up his own institutes, in Israel and abroad, more Chasidim could defect.
