The Women and the Rebbe

B"H

For some time I have been writing about the extreme chassidic group Toldot Aharon as well as about their split off, the Toldot Avraham Yitzchak. I spoke to some of the women, especially to teenage girls, and got many impressions. But I don't only speak to the members, I also study the literature of their Rebbe's and the history.

Hardly anything has been written about these two groups and if so, the literature is rather old and the split in 1996 (Avraham Yitzchak) hadn't even taken place yet. The only updated literature is a Ph.D. work of the former sociology student Sima Zalcberg. I read her 450 - page manuscript last week, and also contacted her by e - mail in order to ask a few further questions. She gave me her phone number and I will call her soon.

However, she mentioned an interesting point which I also realized.
Especially the women of Toldot Aharon idealize their own Rebbe, Rabbi David Kahn. The male group members do see the Rebbe as a Zaddik but also see in him a human being. They can do that because they meet him all the time, speak to him and deal with him in different matters. The women, on the other hand, are not in touch with the Rebbe at all, as Toldot Aharon keeps the opposite sexes totally separate. If the women have questions for the Rebbe, they either send their husbands or ask the Rebbitzen. Personal contact between the women and the Rebbe doesn’t take place at all.

Sima Salcberg claims that for this reason, the women tend to idealize the Rebbe. A claim I can completely confirm.

As soon as the Rebbe walks in, the Toldot Aharon as well as the Avraham Yitzchak women are fascinated. Actually I saw it even more at the Avraham Yitzchak women. What I cannot confirm is that the women are so fascinated that they sit quietly through the Rebbe's Tish. Both female group members love to chat all the time and many never stop. Sometimes the Ezrat Nashim sounds like a chicken coop.

The women like to tell many stories about the Rebbe. It could be a psychological point that those women need an idol. If you see a person all the time but you are not able to approach him personally, of course, you have different ideas about him. That he is perfect and the greatest Zaddik. How many teenage girls run after pop stars ?

The less you know the more you look for idealization, and he becomes the great idol.