| Mordechai Dovid Unger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title | Rebbe of Bobov-45 |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Mordechai Dovid Unger 1954 (age 70–71) New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Rivka Halberstam |
| Children | Yosef, Shulim, Chaim Benzion, Yechezkel, Moshe Yehoshea |
| Parent |
|
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Jewish leader | |
| Predecessor | Naftali Halberstam |
Mordechai Dovid Unger (Hebrew: הרב מרדכי דוד אונגער, born 1954) is the first Rebbe of Bobov-45.
Biography
Unger was born to Yaakov Yitzchok Unger of Dombrov. He is the younger son-in-law of Naftali Zvi Halberstam, the fourth Bobover Rebbe.
Following the death of his father-in-law right before the Purim holiday in 2005, a dispute arose as to who should be the Grand Rebbe of the then 120,000 Bobov Hasidim worldwide. Some began to follow Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, his father-in-law's half-brother, while others followed the older (by one year) Unger, who had by then already ensconced himself firmly within the community. Unger could not challenge his own father for leadership of Dombrov, which anyway was not as substantial a dynasty as Bobov. The matter of succession was brought before a beth din (religious court) in 2007, which ruled that Halberstam would be declared Rebbe of Bobov (אדמו"ר מבאבוב) with its headquarters on 48th Street in Borough Park, Brooklyn, while Unger would be Rebbe of Bobov-45 (אדמו"ר מבאבוב-45), located on 45th Street.
Politics
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams visited Bobov–45 as part of his 2017 re-election campaign.
References
- ^ Heilman 2013, p. 236.
- Rebbes of Bobov: Ben Zion Halberstam, Mordechai Dovid Unger, Naftali Halberstam, Shlomo Halberstam. General Books. 2010. ISBN 9781157267386.
- (March 26, 2005) "A Battle for Succession Takes No Holiday", The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- Heilman 2013, p. 237.
- ^ Heilman 2013, p. 238.
- (October 26, 2017) "Watch: Bobov-45 Rebbe Dances at Wedding", Arutz 7. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- "Brooklyn Boro President Eric Adams Visits Bobov-45 Rebbe in Preparation to his Upcoming Re-election". September 28, 2017.
Sources
- Heilman, Samuel C. (December 2013). "What's in a Name? The Dilemma of Title and Geography for Contemporary Hasidism". Jewish History. 27 (2–4): 221–240. doi:10.1007/s10835-013-9187-5. S2CID 254602685. ProQuest 1460841654. Retrieved July 19, 2023.