Avraham Brandwein


Rabbi Avraham Brandwein, Admor of Stretin, was an Israeli Kabbalah scholar and was a direct descendant of the famous first Admor of Stretin.

Background

His family tree included many of the great chassidic masters, including the Maggid of Mezritsch, Elimelech of Lizhensk and Levy Yitschak of Berditshev. Born in Israel, Brandwein was the seventh generation in his family to live in Israel. His family originally settled in Tsfat, the city of Kabbalists.
His father, Rav Yehudah Tzvi, was the previous Admor and a great scholar of Kabbalah.
Brandwein served in the Israel Defense Forces in artillery and was among the soldiers that crossed the Suez Canal into Egypt during the Yom Kippur war.

Ordination

Rav Brandwein was ordained as a Rabbi by G'dolim representing the entire Orthodox community in Israel and also holds an M.A. He integrated Charedi life with active participation in the life of the modern state. Brandwein served as a rabbi in the Absorption and Immigration Department of the Jewish Agency, providing spiritual assistance to many new immigrants.

Teaching and writing

Since 1985, he taught Torah and Chassidut throughout Israel. He edited more than twenty volumes of classical Kabbalistic texts.
Brandwein established a yeshiva in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem where he taught Kabbalah.

Death

Brandwein died on February 20, 2013, aged 67, in the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem in Jerusalem, after several months' illness. He was buried in the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery, next to his wife, Tzipora, who had died four years previously.