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The Malachim are a barely extant Hasidic group with strong Miami and Williamsburg connections.

History

Rabbi Chaim Avraham Dov Ber Levine haCohen, also known as "The Malach" (lit. "the angel") came to New York in the 1920s. The Malach had been one of the closest followers of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn and the tutor of his grandson, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn. However, Rabbi Levine became distanced from the Schneersohns and their dynasty, Chabad-Lubavitch, due to personal differences (Lubavitchers and Rabbi Levine's followers' accounts differ substantially as to the exact nature of the incident. Rabbi Nessanel Quinn, a close pupil of Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, maintained that Rabbi Levine was "thrown out" of Chabad). Once in New York, Rabbi Levine became the rabbi of a synagogue in the Bronx. Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaas, encouraged students to visit him so they could see such a luminary. Many of them were inspired and decided to become followers of the Malach, starting a Hasidic quasi-dynasty known as "The Malachim." "They began to dress more haredi. In 1936, the students left Torah Vodaas (Rabbi Quinn claims that they left on their own. Rabbi Meir Weberman, one of the Malach's followers, claims that Rabbi Quinn expelled them but later apologized). After The Malach's death in 1938, the Malachim did not choose a successor.

Their synagogue in Brooklyn Nesivos Olam located at 187 Hewes St. in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY is now led by Rabbi Meyer Weberman.

Relationship toward other groups

Chabad

The Malachim are antagonistic towards Chabad-Lubavitch and one leader of the Malachim has noted that one significant difference is that Chabad involves itself with the affairs with the Israeli government while the Malachim are staunchly anti-Zionist. Also, the Malachim only acknowledge the first four Lubavitcher rebbes as the legitimate rebbes of Lubavitch..

Satmar

Many of the decendants of the former Malachim joined with Satmar, due to their shared anti-Zionist views.

Once a woman approached the Satmar Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, complaining that her son had become a "Malach". Rabbi Teitelbaum replied "don't worry, he won't fly away".

References

1. Ben Zion Weberman (1896-1968): Life and Legacy of an Orthodox Jewish Attorney in New York City During the Interwar Period and Beyond, Moshe Rapaport, University of Hawaii
2. Hasidic People by Jerome Mintz
3. Sefer Tiferes Yoel

• Hasidic dynasties
• Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidism