Thousands of Rachmastrivka Hasidim will celebrate on Sunday evening as their Rebbe's eldest grandson, son of his son-in-law Rabbi Shmuel Avraham Abba Twersky, marks his bar mitzvah.
The celebration carries special significance within the Hasidic community. The Rachmastrivka Rebbe has two daughters and no sons, making this the first time he will witness a grandson enter religious adulthood, a milestone generating considerable excitement among his followers.
The event was originally scheduled to take place at the grand synagogue of the Karlin-Stolin Hasidic dynasty in Givat Ze'ev, a venue large enough to accommodate the thousands expected to attend from Israel and abroad.
However, last week, intense pressure from hardline religious groups led organizers to relocate the celebration to a large tent erected near the Slonim synagogue in the city. Notably, when similar pressure was applied to the Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe in the past, he refused to yield and held his grandsons' weddings at the Karlin-Stolin hall.
Sources within the Rachmastrivka community emphasize that their Rebbe was not involved in the sequence of events or the pressures that led to the change—all arrangements were handled by community activists.
Nevertheless, to prevent any potential hurt feelings or misunderstanding, the Rebbe sent a special delegation on Friday to the Karlin-Stolin Rebbe, seeking his forgiveness and reconciliation over the cancellation at his synagogue.
According to reports, the Karlin-Stolin Rebbe received the emissaries warmly, as is his custom. He listened to their message and blessed them with warmth and congratulations, making clear that he took no offense and that his sole desire is to assist every Jew without distinction.
The Rebbe held a smaller family celebration for immediate members of his household only on Motzaei Shabbos.
The main celebration will take place Sunday evening at 8:00 PM.
Incidentally, the bar mitzvah boy already began wearing tefillin a month ago with his grandfather, the Rachmastrivka Rebbe, following the Chernobyl Hasidic tradition of beginning this practice a month before the celebration.
