Who was the Sambor Rebbe?

Who was the Sambor Rebbe?

As I referred to my grandfather zt”l as the Sambor Rebbe in a posting in another Blog, and one of the posters there questioned as to whether he was properly an Admor, I figured I would put together some information here based on what I know of Sambor. I admit it is not detailed, and if other people who happen across this blog have additional information. I would be happy to see your comments and info.

The first Sambor Rebbe was R’ Urie. He studied chasidus under the Sar Shalom of Belz (R. Shalom Rokeach), and started to develop a group of chassidim after the death of the Sar Shalom. He then studied under R. Avraham ben R. Yehuda Tzvi of Stretin, and was appointed as Rebbe by R. Avraham. He began nesius (in Kamerna) following R.Avraham’s death, and then moved to Sambor (in 5635) on the advice of Reb Avrohom Yaakov of Sadiger (the son of the Rebbe Reb Yisroel of Ruzhin).

One of R’ Urie’s sons was R’ Sholom. He studied with his father, as well as with Reb Avrohom Yaakov of Sadiger. In yechidus with Reb Avrohom Yaakov just prior to Reb Avrohom’s petirah, he has told to accept the Ol HaTzibur and he left Sadiger, and after a few years (on the advice of the Horei Besamim, when he left to accept the position in Stanislav, leaving open the position in Stryj), established as Rebbe in Stryj. In 5684, R’ Sholom traveled to Eretz Yisrael, fell sick and died there.

R’ Sholom had two sons and two daughters (as far as I know). I believe that R’ Sholom’s son, R’ Yeshia Asher, took over his father position in Stryj. Unfortunately, R’ Yeshia Asher and his entire family was killed in the holocaust. The second son, R. Ephraim Eliezer came to America, first to the Sambor shtebal in New York, and then later to Philadelphia where he was a Rov for over 60 years ( I think close to 70). The two daughters were Miriam and Sosha (maybe Shoshana?). Miriam married R’ Yisrael Elimelech Moskowitz and Sosha married R’ Gedaliah Gottleib.

R’ Ephraim Eliezer, while maintaining the Toras HaNigleh v’haNistar of his parents and teachers, did not establish a Chassidic court in America. For much of his life, he maintained a small shtebel in Philadelphia (there was a larger shul initially in Strawberry Mansion prior to my birth, I remember the shtebels in Wynnfield and the Northeast). As with his father and grandfather, he maintained a close relationship with a leading Chassidish figure that he accepted as his Rebbe Muvhak. For R’ Ephraim, it was Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the sixth Lubavith Rebbe. After R’ Yosef was niftar, R’ Ephraim was instrumental in R’ Menachem Mendal accepting the nesius of Chabad, and remained very close to R’ Menachem Mendal for the rest of his life. Every Pesach on chol hamoad, my zaida, R’ Ephraim Eliezer, would tell me that the Ramam paskened that one is chiyav to visit one’s rebbe at least once a year, and that was when he would go. As a young child, I went with my zaida to Chabad a number of times.

Upon my zaida zt”l petirah, to the extent that any of the family took over as Sambor Rebbe, it would be my cousin, R’ Urie, named for the first Sambor rebbe, and married to a grand-daughter of Reb Are’le – the Toldos Aharon. He maintained a small shtebel in Eretz Yisrael for a number of years, and now lives in Monsey Eir haKodesh. I think that there was also another great-grandson of R’ Urie, R Hershel ben R. Eliezer ben R’ Yehuda Tzvi ben R’ Urie, who lives in Canada that may also be using the title of Sambor Rebbe. Both have at most a few Chassidim.