Rabbi Avraham Brandwein (died February 20, 2013), Admor of Stretin, was a great Israeli Kabbalah scholar and was a direct descendant of the famous first Admor of Stretin.
His family tree included many of the great chassidic masters, including the Maggid of Mezritsch, Elimelech of Lizhensk and Levy Yitschak of Berditshev. Born in Israel, Brandwein was the seventh generation in his family to live in Israel. His family originally settled in Tsfat, the city of Kabbalists.
His father, Rav Yehudah Tzvi, was the previous Admor and a great scholar of Kabbalah.
Brandwein served in the Israel Defense Forces in artillery and was among the soldiers that crossed the Suez Canal into Egypt during the Yom Kippur war.
Rav Brandwein was ordained as a Rabbi by G'dolim representing the entire Orthodox community in Israel and also holds an M.A. He integrated Charedi life with active participation in the life of the modern state. Brandwein served as a rabbi in the Absorption and Immigration Department of the Jewish Agency providing spiritual assistance to many new immigrants.
Since 1985, he taught Torah and Chassidut throughout Israel. A widely respected scholar, he edited more than twenty volumes of classical Kabbalistic texts. A soft spoken, gentle man of great inner strength, hundreds of people turned to him every year for spiritual guidance and support.