Living Legacy: The Skverer Rebbe, zt”l

2 Nissan marks the 53rd yohrtzeit of the previous Skverer Rebbe, Rav Yaakov Yosef Twersky, zy”a—whose legacy is felt with increasing intensity 53 years after his passing. His first stop when he landed in America was at the home of his brother in Boro Park. 

Skvyra—one of the most prominent Chernobyler branches in existence today—traces its roots to Ukraine of yore, and to the founding of this chassidus in 1837 by Rebbe Yitzchok of Skvyra, a son of Rebbe Mordechai Twersky, the Chernobyler Maggid. He was succeeded by his son Rebbe Dovid (1848-1927), who was succeeded by Rebbe Yaakov Yosef, the previous Skverer Rebbe, zy”a ((1899-1968). 

As one scholar of chassidic history put it: “The Skverer Rebbe had no airs, no noise. He built and accomplished in an extremely quiet manner. It was solely his kedusha and taharah that beamed forth from his holy tzurah that attracted the masses to him… and this is how Skver was built on American soil.”

The Rebbe was born in the Ukrainian town of Skvyra in 1899. In 1920, his saintly father was niftar, during a period of complete turmoil and suffering for the Jews of Ukraine, and so the family fled to Romania. 1925, he married Rebbetzin Trani, the daughter of Rav Pinyele (Twersky) of Ostila, who was the son-in-law of Rebbe Yisachar Dov of Belz, and the couple settled in the court of Belz for two years—until the passing of his father, Rav Duvid’l. 

The start of his leadership of the Skverer chassidus—which would eventually continue to expand throughout the world to this day—was in Kolarash, Romania, in 1928. 

There are incredible stories of mofsim that the Rebbe effected for people during the war years in Romania, and at the end of it, he found himself in Bucharest. He left Romania in 1948, and arrived in Boro Park. After two years he settled in Williamsburg—where he began the work of rebuilding the lost glory. In Skver, there is a special value for keeping to tradition—and so the Rebbe dreamt of creating a shtetl, an oasis that would remain untouched and unaffected from the atmosphere of America. 

Where everyone saw an unmovable mountain, the Skverer Rebbe saw fertile ground. He moved into the fledgling shtetl of New Square around 1960, when there were no paved roads. And the rest is history: the shtetl, and the chassidus itself continues to grow, and is a beacon of light to the world with their unique preservation of the ways of yore, under the leadership of the rebbe’s son and successor, the current Rebbe shlit”a. The New Square kollel features hundreds of yungeleit who toil in Torah from morning till night—a point of particular pride to the chassidus. 

The Skverer Rebbe’s living legacy continues to this day, and only recently Boro Park has added another Skverer shtiebel, in addition to the flourishing infrastructure of mosdos and shtiblach that the —a great tribute to the tzaddik who transplanted to America the spirit of Skvyra of yore. 

Living Legacy is a special project of BP24, and appears weekly. Comments may be emailed to [email protected]