Aharon Rokeach
| Aharon Rokeach | |
|---|---|
| Fourth Belzer Rebbe | |
 |
|
| Full name | Aharon Rokeach |
| Born | 1880 Belz, Poland |
| Buried | Har HaMenuchot |
| Dynasty | Belz |
| Predecessor | Yissachar Dov Rokeach |
| Successor | Yissachar Dov Rokeach |
| Father | Yissachar Dov Rokeach |
| Mother | Basha Ruchama Twersky |
| Wife 1 | Malka Rokeach |
| Children 1 | Moshe Yisrael Yehuda Zundel Rivka Miriam Mirel Adel Sara Bracha 2 other sons |
| Wife 2 | Chana Labin-Pollack |
Aharon Rokeach (19 December 1880 – 18 August 1957) was the fourth Rebbe of the Belz Hasidic dynasty. He led the movement from 1926 until his death in 1957.
Rebbe Aharon inherited the mantle of leadership from his father, Yissachar Dov Rokeach, upon the latter's death in 1926. Known for his piety and mysticism, Rebbe Aharon was called the "Wonder Rabbi" by Jews and gentiles alike for the miracles he performed.
His reign as Rebbe saw the devastation of the Belz community, along with that of many other Hasidic sects in Galicia and elsewhere in Poland during the Holocaust. During the Holocaust, Rebbe Aharon was high on the list of Gestapo targets as a high-profile Rebbe. With the support and financial assistance of Belzer Hasidim in Israel, England and the United States, he and his half-brother, Rabbi Mordechai of Bilgoray, managed to escape from Poland into Hungary, then into Turkey, Lebanon, and finally into Israel in February 1944. After Rabbi Mordechai's sudden death in November 1949, Rebbe Aharon raised his half-brother's year-old son, Yissachar Dov, and groomed him to succeed him as Belzer Rebbe.
Aharon was the first child born to his parents, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach and Basha Ruchama Twersky, after 12 years of marriage. He was named after his mother's great-grandfather, Rebbe Aharon of Chernobyl, although his father later revealed that he intended to name the boy after Rabbi Aharon of Karlin. Aharon had a younger sister, Chana Rachel, who later married Rabbi Pinchas Twersky of Ostilla.
Aharon's mother died on 18 March 1884 when Aharon was 4 years old. His grandfather, Rebbe Yehoshua Rokeach, the second Belzer Rebbe, took the boy under his wing and oversaw his spiritual development. As he grew, Aharon spent much of his day ensconced in Torah learning and ate and slept little. He also concealed his accomplishments with a modesty that would last throughout his lifetime.
...
Wikipedia