Have you, your parents or grandparents switched קרייז - if yes, why?

[Yehuda57]

Paternal grandfather: American-born Chaim Berlin talmid. His older brother met and learned Chassidus with R' Yisrael Jacobson as a teenager, leading him to become a Lubavitch Chossid. My grandfather followed in his footsteps. My great-grandparents were not thrilled at first, but that didn't last long.

Paternal grandmother: American-born Lubavitcher. Her mother was Lubavitch stretching back to the Alter Rebbe. Her father was a Karliner Chossid, but after he got married he became Lubavitch. He got a dispensation to learn in Toras Emes in Yerushalayim from the Rebbe Rashab even though he was already married.

My maternal grandparents were both London-born traditional Jews. Shul on Shabbos, don't eat meat in restaurants, Zionistic tendencies, etc, but not fully shomer Tu"m. They met R' Faivish Vogel in the '60s and became frum and Lubavitch Chassidim when my mother was teenager.

[aygart]

The biggest chunk come from Tzeirei and its offshoots

[avromie7]

The biggest chunk come from Tzeirei and its offshoots

?

[imayid2]

My paternal line is as purely Galician as you can get.

During WW1 my ggg fled to Michalovitch (now Slovakia) upon the advice of the Chortkava Rebbe. When the Belzer Rebbe R. Yissachor Dov visited Michalovitch in the 20s, my ggg was involved in hosting him. Family tradition has it that he would not ask him for a bracha though, because Ein rebbe un ein gut!. My ggg was murdered in the war (will be naming my son for him iy’h) my gg managed to escape, settled in crown heights in the early 40s where my grandfather attended Crown Heights Yeshiva for a bit. Eventually the boys were sent off to the litvishe American yeshivos of the time, where they become talmidim muvhakim of those various roshey yeshiva.

[aygart]

?

צעירי אגודת ישראל

[Dan]

Paternal grandfather: American-born Chaim Berlin talmid.

Reminds me of a random factoid. My application to Chaim Berlin was denied. Well, their preschool, but still. 

[Euclid]

Reminds me of a random factoid. My application to Chaim Berlin was denied. Well, their preschool, but still. 

Starting a decades long grudge against in town

[chevron]

My paternal line is as purely Galician as you can get.

During WW1 my ggg fled to Michalovitch (now Slovakia) upon the advice of the Chortkava Rebbe. When the Belzer Rebbe R. Yissachor Dov visited Michalovitch in the 20s, my ggg was involved in hosting him. Family tradition has it that he would not ask him for a bracha though, because Ein rebbe un ein gut!. My ggg was murdered in the war (will be naming my son for him iy’h) my gg managed to escape, settled in crown heights in the early 40s where my grandfather attended Crown Heights Yeshiva for a bit. Eventually the boys were sent off to the litvishe American yeshivos of the time, where they become talmidim muvhakim of those various roshey yeshiva.

Is that Michalovce? If so, my family was friends with your family

מיכאלובצה I have the yizkor book . My family were very large members of the community, those who escaped it before the war survived and most of those who did not were killed

[EliJelly]

..... Eventually the boys were sent off to the litvishe American yeshivos of the time, where they become talmidim muvhakim of those various roshey yeshiva.

Personally I like to know and understand the ideology behind why I’m not chassidesh.

So it doesn't seems to be so ideology based at all . Rather, the more common phenomena of those chassidim after WW2 who for various reasons didn't become integrated in the chassidish post war circles. While they mostly remained warm chassidim at heart, the outer American appearance of them and their families made sending their boys to Litvish yeshivos the easier/better choice, and the rest is history.
 

[imayid2]

Is that Michalovce? If so, my family was friends with your family

מיכאלובצה I have the yizkor book . My family were very large members of the community, those who escaped it before the war survived and most of those who did not were killed

Nice! There is like dozens of ways to pronounce it, I can never get it right.
We hired a local to go through some government offices there, found some interesting records. (Have the deed to property still registered to my ggg, not worth too much unfortunately.)

I recently made a trip to a survivor who grew up there, found out details about my fam that no one ever knew (The man is sharp as a whistle and remembers everything like it happened yesterday, down to the exact dates) I’ve mentioned:

My own gg grandfather chose to give up his life rather than hide under false conversion papers during WW2 along with many others as is well documented in Slovakia.

This particular survivor has an amazing story about that with the Nitra Ruv, heard from him first hand, and it’s printed in his book



Great book about R. Refoel Blum (the Kashvy ruv) put out recently called אילנא רברבא which has a nice amount of information about Michalovce. He had a yeshiva there.

[ExGingi]

Most of Lakewood does not come from Lithuania.

WW2 ravaged Lithuanian Jewry (those that didn't manage to escape to the far east). And prior to that השכלה ravaged. Many moved to South Africa in the first few decades of the 20th century. IDK how many were frum by the time they went there. But most definitely did not end up frum. I don't think the השכלה movement ravaged Galicia or Hungary as bad as it did in Lithuania.

Of my maternal grandfather's family, only the youngest brother remained frum (after being sent away as a child to Rostov with a משולח that came to Panavezys, as no חדרים remained open there) and living. His 3 children currently live in Lakewood.

Here is a card of the oldest sibling (my maternal grandfather)

[chevron]

Nice! There is like dozens of ways to pronounce it, I can never get it right.
We hired a local to go through some government offices there, found some interesting records. (Have the deed to property still registered to my ggg, not worth too much unfortunately.)

I recently made a trip to a survivor who grew up there, found out details about my fam that no one ever knew (The man is sharp as a whistle and remembers everything like it happened yesterday, down to the exact dates) I’ve mentioned:
This particular survivor has an amazing story about that with the Nitra Ruv, heard from him first hand, and it’s printed in his book



Great book about R. Refoel Blum (the Kashvy ruv) put out recently called אילנא רברבא which has a nice amount of information about Michalovce. He had a yeshiva there.

I met the son of the kashuv rav about 25 years ago.. might be the current rav now.

We talked about  Michalovce.

[yesitsme]

@ExGingi next thread, how are your grandparents called at home
Bobby bubby
opo
omo
let go

[ExGingi]

So it doesn't seems to be so ideology based at all .

From all the stories brought here, other than BT or people that came to Lubavitch after learning Chassidus, it seems like almost all shifts are due to circumstances.

CMIIW, but to me, it seems like there are mainly 3 קרייזן that have strong ideologies. Lubavitch, Satmar, and Yeshivish. That doesn't necessarily mean that anyone that joined one of those did so due to ideological reasons.

FWIW, I believe Lubavitch ideology is diametrically opposed to inertia (i.e. being "Lubavitch" just because you were born "into it").

(highly recommended and fascinating - not that any are not so - sicha to read in its entirety)


And another one

[dm123]

CMIIW, but to me, it seems like there are mainly 3 קרייזן that have strong ideologies. Lubavitch, Satmar, and Yeshivish.

Can you please define ideology? Why not include Breslov or Ger or Mizrachi or MO or etc?

Also what do you mean by "Yeshivish"?

[ExGingi]

Can you please define ideology? Why not include Breslov or Ger or Mizrachi or MO or etc?

Also what do you mean by "Yeshivish"?

I define ideology as a core tenet (or set thereof) that is seen as an ideal and integral part of one's life. (and in the context of the current discussion, a tenet that would motivate someone to join the group/culture).

Lubavitch - learning Chassidus, having that learning affect one's מחשבה, דיבור ומעשה and unconditional אהבת ישראל.
Satmar - קנאות, anti-zionism.
Yeshivish - emphasis on learning, including extended Kolel.

I guess I missed Breslov.

[dm123]

I define ideology as a core tenet (or set thereof) that is seen as an ideal and integral part of one's life. (and in the context of the current discussion, a tenet that would motivate someone to join the group/culture).

Lubavitch - learning Chassidus, having that learning affect one's מחשבה, דיבור ומעשה and unconditional אהבת ישראל.
Satmar - קנאות, anti-zionism.
Yeshivish - emphasis on learning, including extended Kolel.

I guess I missed Breslov.

Well if you're defining it so broadly, I guess you could really include the rest also. Thanks for clarifying.

[ExGingi]

Well if you're defining it so broadly, I guess you could really include the rest also. Thanks for clarifying.

Could you give examples of ideology specific to certain קרייזן?

[dm123]

Could you give examples of ideology specific to certain קרייזן?

MO Torah Umada
Mizrachi ProZionism
I'm sure there's plenty more just posting offhand.

[srap]

Re reply #9 above:
Leave it to @TimT!