Chaim Elazar Shapiro, known throughout Jewry as the Munkaczer “wonder rabbi,” died today after an illness of more than a year. He was 68 years old.
Rabbi Shapiro, spiritual leader of a Chassidic sect numbering thousands of followers here and abroad, was the stormy petrol of religious life spanning several central and east European countries.
He recently concluded peace with another sect known as the Belzer Chassidim, terminating a feud that lasted twenty years. He was at odds with the Agudath Israel, orthodox Jewish organization, the Mizrachi, Zionist religious body, and Zionism in general.
During his illness, the rabbi received from 12,000 Jews the world over symbolic donations of one day from each of their lives.
Rabbi Shapiro’s dynastic successor has already been chosen, in the person of Baruch Rabinowitz, his 20-year-old son-in-law. His succession was decided by the Mukacevo Jewish Community with the approval of Rabbi Shapiro.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
