Near Lvov in an area of the world now called Ukraine sits the village of Belz. This was not always Ukraine’s territory. This land has been bounced around, with the region at times part of Austro-Hungary, Poland, other times part of Lithuania and taken over by Russians and Germans.

Belz is an ancient site. It was once a big city, possibly one of the oldest in all of Europe. Eventually, however, the city was bypassed as an urban hub, and dwindled until it was just a shtetl, another smaller community within Europe.

The first Jews arrived in Belz somewhere before the 1400s. The first documentation relating to Jews being in Belz is from 1469. This was the year that the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella got married and began their joint persecution of Jews, moving waves and waves of Jews from the Spain, Aragon, Portugal and other associated lands toward European communities. That might be why the Jews of Europe had their numbers swell within the next bit of time, including the community of Belz, which at this point of time in history belonged to the Polish kingdom.

By 1520, a Jewish man from this area was appointed to collect the “Jewish tax” in Belz. He was listed as Yoske Zussmanovich. By 1550, the Belz Jewish community began to show up in census records, with a count of 22 families in that first census. A simple wooden synagogue was erected, there was a mikvah and the ancient cemetery.

Horrors met this community as it grew a short time later. The Chmielnicki marauders swept through this shtetl in 1648 during their rebellion against the Polish monarchy and about 200 Jews were murdered. Quiet didn’t last after that tragedy. A Swedish invasion in 1660 brought more deaths to the small community. Not just adults, but even children were slaughtered.

The Belz Jewish community rebuilt and continued to grow. In 1665, the Belz Jewish community achieved a huge forward step from the rulers. Jews were given equal rights to living, governing and conducting business. The little wooden synagogue continued to be a place of worship, a place where all Jews met and got led.

Europe at this time faced a Jewish identity crisis. Since the economic condition of Jews was precarious, most parents could not afford to send their youngsters to learn Torah long-term. Few were those who could sit within the walls of a Bais Medrash to learn full time. This created a schism between learned Jews and the populous common Jew. Along came the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic Movement, to set things right. He taught (it was not new concepts, but forgotten important Jewish thought), that the world rests on three pillars: Torah, Avodah and Gemilas Chasadim. There are those who are to learn Torah non-stop. There are those who must connect with fiery prayer. And, there are those who are to go out and provide kind deeds for the world to flourish. By giving weight to every Jew with every Jew noted for his own ability and contribution, the Besht made sure that Judaism was alive and a place where all could participate.





The movement took off like wildfire..and eventually made its way to Belz through the third generation of Chassidic leaders. Specifically, it was Rabbi Shalom Rokeach who had studied under both the Chozeh of Lublin and the Chartkover Rebbe who brought Chassidus to Belz. Belz became a central Chassidus, with adherents flocking from far and wide and followers spreading out from Poland to Hungary and beyond.

With the decimation of the Jewish communities of Europe by the Nazis during WWII, the Belz Jewish community in Europe came to end. But not the legacy of Belz Chassidus, because Rabbi Aron Rokeach made it to Israel. Today, Belz might be a village in Ukraine when looking at a map of the world. However, within Jewish circles, Belz is one of the largest and most vibrant Jewish Chassidic communities, with followers spread out in cities throughout Israel, Europe and the North America.