24-Year-Old Son of Sadigura Rebbe Named as His Successor
Rav Yitzchok Yehoshua Heshel Friedman, the fifth son of the Sadigura Rebbe zt”l, who was niftar this past week, has been named as the new Sadigura Rebbe.
The new rebbe is 24 years old.
The announcement came in conjunction with the end of shivah.
After the rebbe’s family visited the kever of the rebbe at the bais hachaim in Givatayim, the tzavaah, or will, of the rebbe was read. The rebbe selected his son, Rav Yitzchok Yehoshua Heshel, known as Shea’le, to become the 7th Sadigura Rebbe of the Ruzhin dynasty.
Reb Shea’le currently lives in Antwerp.
Reb Shea’le will be moving to Bnei Brak to lead the Sadigura chassidus.
The tzavaah was in the possession of Rav Yisroel Berger, rov of the Ganei Geulah neighborhood.
Sources indicate that two other sons, the eldest, Rav Mordechai Shalom Yosef, will be rov of the Sadigura kehillah in Yerushalayim, and the third son, Rav Aharon Dov Ber, will be rov of the Sadigura kehillah in London.
The new rebbe was raised in the Golders Green neighborhood of London by his parents, the late rebbe, Rav Yisroel Moshe Friedman, and Rebbetzin Sarah, daughter of Rav Chaim Moshe Feldman.
At his bris, he was named after the Apta Rov.
As a child, he studied at the Belzer Talmud Torah in Stamford Hill. He then joined the Gateshead Yeshiva and Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim, where he learned under Rav Asher Arieli.
Reb Shea’le is married to Malka, a daughter of Rav Asher Chaim Sternbuch, who, in turn, is a son of Rav Eliyahu Sternbuch, late rov of Antwerp.
After his marriage, he moved to Antwerp.
Reb Shea’le has two daughters, one born about a month ago.
While his age, 24, may seem young, many rebbes have been appointed at young ages. The Saba Kadisha of Ruzhin was 16 when he was crowned rebbe, the Chortkover Rebbe was 24, the Rebbe of Husiatin was 17, the Abir Yaakov of Sadigura was 22, the Knesses Mordechai was 16, Rav Avrohom Matisyahu of Stefanesht was 21, the Bohosher Rebbe was 17, Rav Mordechai Shlomo of Boyan was 26, and the current Boyaner Rebbe was 20.
I wish the new Rebbe of Sadigora much Hatzlocho. My grandparents came from a Shtetl about 2 miles from Sadigora. My Great Great Grandfather spent 2 months each year by the Shtefaneshter Rebbe. I feel a close connection to the Ruzhin Hasidic Dynasty because all my mishpacha comes from the area in Bessarabia where that dynasty was strong. Thank you very much for including this article.
Hatzlacha to the holy Rabbi