The Woman Sat Near the Rebbes

by Dovid Zaklikowski for Hasidic Archives

It was during the difficult times of World War I in Europe that Rabbi Yisroel Friedman (1854–1934), leader of the Chortkov Chassidic court, fled to Vienna, Austria. At the time, the city was outside the combat zone and considered a safe haven.

One of the local religious communities asked him to join them. He inquired how many Jews were part of their community, and they responded, “About ten thousand.” Knowing that hundreds of thousands of Jews lived in Vienna, Rabbi Friedman asked, “Are you asking me to restrict my love for my fellow Jews to just five percent of the Jewish population?”

He explained that the Chassidic movement was meant for all Jews, “To care for and worry about all Jews in the city, even those who might not currently be affiliated with the organized community.” If he was in Vienna, he would not limit his outreach to anyone.

For health reasons, Rabbi Friedman would take walks in the fresh air of the city’s parks. Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman (1884–1961), leader of the Sadigura Chassidic court, who also lived in Vienna for some time, would often accompany him.

During one of these walks, Rabbi Yisroel sat down to rest on a park bench, and Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov sat beside him. Suddenly, a non-Jewish woman came and sat on the other end of the bench. Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov immediately began to rise from his seat. To avoid embarrassing the woman, who might think they were moving away because of her, Rabbi Yisroel gestured to him to remain seated.

A short while later, Rabbi Yisroel looked at his watch and said, “It’s late and we need to go.” And with that, the two quietly left, without making anyone feel uncomfortable.

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