Yisroel Meir Gabbai
Encyclopedia
Yisroel Meir Gabbai is a Breslover
Hasid
who travels the world to locate, repair and maintain Jewish
cemeteries
and kevarim
(gravesites) of Torah notables. He is the founder of Agudas Ohalei Tzadikim.
and his mother a descendant of German Jews; they married in France
, where Gabbai was born.
. In his youth, Gabbai attended Yeshivas Lucerne
under Rav Yitzchok Dov Koppelman and went on to study in the Ponevezh Yeshiva
in Bnei Brak and the Breslov Yeshiva in Jerusalem.
for the first time to visit the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
in Uman
, Ukraine
. Upon touring other cities, he was shocked by the degradation and ruin of Jewish holy sites in Russia. During the Soviet era, Jewish gravestones were often uprooted by vandals or by poor people who used the stones for heating and building. In large cities, the Soviets destroyed and paved over entire cemeteries to build sports complexes and other buildings. In 1989, after the fall of Communism, Gabbai began his work of identifying and restoring Jewish holy sites in the Former Soviet Union.
In Medzhybizh
, Ukraine, burial place of the Baal Shem Tov, Gabbai was instrumental in refurbishing the Baal Shem Tov's grave and ohel
, which also covers the graves of the Degel Machaneh Ephraim
, the Apter Rav
, and Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh
. Gabbai also built a large synagogue
near the Baal Shem Tov's burial place, a guest house and a mikveh. He is currently completing the reconstruction of the synagogue of the Apter Rav in Medzhybizh, which was destroyed by fire.
According to his website, Gabbai is active in nearly every Jewish cemetery in Ukraine, renovating, fencing and marking cemeteries which have been paved over for buildings. He also established a permanent ner tamid
at the graves of the Baal Shem Tov and Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.
In recent years, Gabbai expanded his activities to include grave restoration work in Syria
, Yemen
, Turkey
and Israel
.
Gabbai calls on many resources in his work. For example, in the restorations in Mezhibuz, he consulted with an elderly Jew living in Ashdod, Israel, who had hid in Mezhibuz as an 18-year-old refugee during World War II, and with a rabbi whose father, the former Rav of the town, had sketched a detailed map that identified important graves and Jewish landmarks. In his quest to identify the unmarked grave of Rashi
, he consulted with a French-Jewish philosopher who was able to access academic archives to unearth an ancient map.
(long coat), in addition to his full beard and payot
.
Breslov (Hasidic dynasty)
Breslov is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism...
Hasid
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
who travels the world to locate, repair and maintain Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
cemeteries
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
and kevarim
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
(gravesites) of Torah notables. He is the founder of Agudas Ohalei Tzadikim.
Early life
Gabbai's father was a native of MoroccoMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and his mother a descendant of German Jews; they married in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where Gabbai was born.
Aliyah to Israel
He along with his family later moved to IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. In his youth, Gabbai attended Yeshivas Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
under Rav Yitzchok Dov Koppelman and went on to study in the Ponevezh Yeshiva
Ponevezh yeshiva
Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced Ponevitch Yeshiva, is a world renowned yeshiva located in Bnei Brak, Israel. Donated by Henry Krausher, it was originally established in the town of Panevėžys, Lithuania...
in Bnei Brak and the Breslov Yeshiva in Jerusalem.
Grave restoration
In 1980, Gabbai traveled to the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
for the first time to visit the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Nachman of Breslov
Nachman of Breslov , also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover , Nachman from Uman , was the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement....
in Uman
Uman
Uman is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. The city rests on the banks of the Umanka River at around , and serves as the self-governing administrative center of the Umanskyi Raion ....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Upon touring other cities, he was shocked by the degradation and ruin of Jewish holy sites in Russia. During the Soviet era, Jewish gravestones were often uprooted by vandals or by poor people who used the stones for heating and building. In large cities, the Soviets destroyed and paved over entire cemeteries to build sports complexes and other buildings. In 1989, after the fall of Communism, Gabbai began his work of identifying and restoring Jewish holy sites in the Former Soviet Union.
In Medzhybizh
Medzhybizh
Medzhybizh, previously known as Mezhybozhe, population 1731, is a town in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of western Ukraine. It is located in the Letychivsky Raion , 25 kilometres from the Khmelnytskyi on the main highway between Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia at the confluence of the Southern Buh and...
, Ukraine, burial place of the Baal Shem Tov, Gabbai was instrumental in refurbishing the Baal Shem Tov's grave and ohel
Ohel
Ohel is a structure built over a Jewish grave as a sign of prominence of the person buried within. Ohalim range from small wooden, brick, or plaster structures to large buildings which include one or more graves and area for visitors to sit and meditate....
, which also covers the graves of the Degel Machaneh Ephraim
Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov was born in Medzhybizh, Poland 1748 and died there on the 17th of Iyar in 1800. He was best known as the Baal Shem Tov's grandson and for the work Degel Machaneh Ephraim, first published in Korets, 1810.-His life:...
, the Apter Rav
Avraham Yehoshua Heshel
Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apt, popularly known as the Apter Rebbe or Apter Rov, was born in Żmigród, Poland in 1748 and died in Mezhbizh, Russian Empire in 1825.-Rabbinical career:...
, and Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh
Boruch of Medzhybizh
Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh , was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov.Reb Boruch was the first major "rebbe" of the Hasidic movement to hold court in Mezhbizh in his grandfather's hometown and Beis Medrash, which he inherited.As recorded in the early Hasidic work...
. Gabbai also built a large synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
near the Baal Shem Tov's burial place, a guest house and a mikveh. He is currently completing the reconstruction of the synagogue of the Apter Rav in Medzhybizh, which was destroyed by fire.
According to his website, Gabbai is active in nearly every Jewish cemetery in Ukraine, renovating, fencing and marking cemeteries which have been paved over for buildings. He also established a permanent ner tamid
Sanctuary lamp
A sanctuary lamp, altar lamp, everlasting light or eternal flame is a light that shines before the altar of sanctuaries in many denominations of Jewish and Christian places of worship. Prescribed in ] 27:20-21] of the Hebrew Bible, this icon has taken on different meanings in each of the religions...
at the graves of the Baal Shem Tov and Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.
In recent years, Gabbai expanded his activities to include grave restoration work in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Gabbai calls on many resources in his work. For example, in the restorations in Mezhibuz, he consulted with an elderly Jew living in Ashdod, Israel, who had hid in Mezhibuz as an 18-year-old refugee during World War II, and with a rabbi whose father, the former Rav of the town, had sketched a detailed map that identified important graves and Jewish landmarks. In his quest to identify the unmarked grave of Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
, he consulted with a French-Jewish philosopher who was able to access academic archives to unearth an ancient map.
Accomplishments
His accomplishments include:- The identification of the grave of Rabbi Shalom ShabaziShalom ShabaziRabbi Shalom ben Yosef Shabbazi, also Abba Shalem Shabbezi or Salim Elshibzi was one of the greatest Jewish poets who lived in 17th century Yemen and now considered the 'Poet of Yemen'. Shabbazi was born in 1619 at Jewish Sharab, close to Ta'izz, and lived most of his life in Ta'izz from which he...
in Yemen - The identification of the grave of Rabbi Refael Katzin, nineteenth-century chief rabbi of AleppoAleppoAleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, in Aleppo, Syria - Renovation of the grave of Rabbi Naphtali KatzNaphtali CohenNaphtali Cohen , also known as Naphtali Katz, was a Russo-German rabbi and kabalist born in Ostrowo in the Ukraine. He belonged to a family of rabbis in Ostrowo, where his father, Isaac Cohen, a great-great-grandson of the Rabbi Judah Loew, had fled during the Cossack war.- Biography :In 1663 Cohen...
in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and... - The purchase of part of the ancient cemetery in ShepetivkaShepetivkaShepetivka is a town located on the Huska River in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of Western Ukraine. The city's population is 48,212 . Shepetivka is a town of oblast subordinance, and the administrative center of Shepetivka Raion .Shepetivka is an important railway junction with five intersecting...
, Ukraine, and the identification and restoration of the grave and ohel of Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz, plus the construction of a nearby guest house - Identification and restoration of the graves of Abba HilkiahAbba HilkiahAbba Hilkiah was a tannaic sage, and a grandson of Honi ha-M'agel. The Talmud cites him as exceptionally scrupulous in his work and behavior....
and Hanan ha-Nehba, both grandchildren of Honi HaM'agelHoni HaM'agelHoni Ha-Ma'agel , was a Jewish scholar prior to the age of the tannaim, the scholars from whose teachings the Mishnah was derived....
, in northern Israel - Placement of a plaque at the burial site of RashiRashiShlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
and other RishonimRishonim"Rishon" redirects here. For the preon model in particle physics, see Harari Rishon Model. For the Israeli town, see Rishon LeZion.Rishonim were the leading Rabbis and Poskim who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the Shulkhan Arukh and...
, alerting visitors that an unmarked square in the city of TroyesTroyesTroyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
is in fact part of an ancient Jewish cemetery
Traveling abroad
While Gabbai is a resident of Israel, he also has a French passport which allows him to enter countries hostile to Israel, such as Syria. When he travels, however, he makes no secret of his mission and dresses in full Hasidic regalia, including flat-topped, wide-brim hat, hand-knitted yarmulke, short pants and Hasidic rekelRekel
Rekel or Lang Rekel is a type of coat worn mainly by Hasidic Jewish men during the Jewish work-week ....
(long coat), in addition to his full beard and payot
Payot
Payot is the Hebrew word for sidelocks or sidecurls. Payot are worn by some men and boys in the Orthodox Jewish community based on an interpretation of the Biblical injunction against shaving the "corners" of one's head...
.