Shomer Emunim (Hasidic dynasty)

Shomer Emunim (meaning "Guardian of the Faith") is a devout, insular Hasidic group based in Jerusalem. It was founded in the 20th century by Rabbi Arele (Aharon) Roth.

The Shomrei Emunim are characterized by fervent and visibly emotional prayer, and by a rigid lifestyle controlled largely by "takanos," or decrees written by the Rebbe. One such decree, for example, forbade wearing wool. (Jewish law forbids wearing anything that contains both wool and linen. Rabbi Aharon worried that it would be safest not to wear wool at all, in order to avoid the possibility of violating the law altogether.)

Grand Rabbi Aharon Roth, or Reb Arele (as his Hasidim sometimes call him, affectionately) was known to pray especially fervently. According to one story, he regularly had to change his clothes twice during the Sabbath morning service. While the normal service might be two or three hours long, Rabbi Aharon frequently drew the service out for five or more hours.

Rabbi Aharon was known to be very anti-Zionist, and many of his Hasidim today continue that tradition, particularly the Toldos Aharon and Toldos Avrohom Yitchok groups. They owe their strong opinions on Zionism to the literal reading of the Talmud's proclamation that Jews should not take over the holy land prior to the coming of the Messiah. (For more information about this subject, see Three Oaths; compare also Satmar's opposition to Zionism. While Rabbi Aharon's opposition to Zionism predated the publication of the Satmar Rov's book Vayoel Moshe, the Satmar Rov's reasoning and Rabbi Aharon's reasoning for opposing Zionism are similar if not identical.)

When Rabbi Aharon died, his son and his son-in-law both became rebbes in their own right. The dynastic chain being:

Rabbi Aharon's son, Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Roth, inherited Rabbi Arele's shul in Jerusalem and the name and title "Shomer Emunim" and become Rebbe and Rabbi Arele's successor recognized as such by the Belzer Rebbe and Rabbi Shlomke of Zhvil.

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