In Hasidism: Community

Communal consciousness and the miraculous of postwar Hasidic centers

Nov 02, 1995

Professor Wiesel defines Hasidism as, above all, a community. Before the term “kibbutz” was adopted by Zionists, chroniclers of Hasidism used the word to describe their communal activities. After tracing the relationship between the individual and the community in the Bible, liturgy, rabbinic legislation and collective memory, Professor Wiesel emphasises the centrality of communal consciousness in the rise of Hasidism. Professor Wiesel then reflects on the miraculous centers that Hasidim have managed to rebuild in Brooklyn and teaches us that the communal value of Hasidism is as relevant today as it was in the lifetime of the Besht.

Selected Quotes:
Subthemes:
1)What is Hasidism? An Introduction
2)The Baal Shem Tov
3)It’s Bitter to Be Alone: Hasidism as a Defense Against Solitude
4)Preliminary Remarks: 29 Years at 92Y
5)The Influence of Hasidic Memory & Melody
6)What is Community?
7)The Exalted Nature of Community in Jewish Tradition
8)Punishments for Violating Community
9)The Strictures Against Handing Over a Jew to an Enemy
10)Pilgrimages to Israel
11)Hasidic Perception of Community
12)The Besht’s First Followers
13)The Strength of Community in Prayer, Song, and Dance
14)God’s Presence in Community
15)Kotzk’s Disturbing Obsession With Community
16)Clinging to Community Despite Mass Killings
17)Three Rebbes Who Escaped Europe: Abandoning the Flock?
18)Hasidim During the Holocaust
19)The Role of the Rebbe in the Hasidic Community
20)Modern Day Hasidic Communities and Their Factions
21)What Makes a Jewish Community?
Names:
Key Words:
Categories:
Tags:

© 2026 The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association

All Rights Reserved.

All material accessed via the 92NY website (“content”) is protected by copyright under U.S. Copyright laws and is the property of The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association or the party credited as the provider of the content. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any such content, nor may you distribute any part of this content over any network, including a local area network, sell or offer it for sale, or use such content to construct any kind of database. You may not alter or remove any copyright or other notice from copies of the content accessed via 92NY’s website. Copying or storing any content except as provided above is expressly prohibited without prior written permission of 92NY or the copyright holder identified in the individual content’s copyright notice.

If you are a rights holder and have found your material on our website for which you have not granted permission (or is not covered by a copyright exception under US copyright laws), please contact us so that we may obtain and document accurate rights-related information. Upon email request to archive@92ny.org, we will temporarily remove material from public view while we address any rights issue and will honor takedown requests from authors who do not wish to have their work published.