The Ohel of the Bobover Rebbeim

Biography

This page is for two Bobover Rebbeim who rest in one ohel in New Jersey: Reb Shlomo Halberstam zy"a, the third Bobover Rebbe, who rebuilt Bobov in America after the war (niftar 1 Av 5760 / 2 August 2000), and his son Reb Naftula — Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Halberstam zy"a — the fourth Bobover Rebbe (niftar 12 Adar II 5765 / 23 March 2005). On the form you may ask that the kvittel be brought to both (the default), to Reb Shlomo, or to Reb Naftula; the printable kvittel follows that choice. He is not the same person as the first Reb Shlomo of Bobov zy"a, who founded the dynasty in Bobowa and is buried there (1 Tammuz 5665 / 4 July 1905). This later Reb Shlomo was a namesake and a descendant of that first Rebbe.

Reb Shlomo was a son of the second Bobover Rebbe, Reb Ben Zion Halberstam zy"a, the Kedushas Tzion, who was murdered in the Holocaust. The line goes back to the first Reb Shlomo of Bobov, a grandson of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz zy"a through Reb Meir Noson, and a nephew of the Shineve Rav zy"a. Sources differ on the civil year of Reb Shlomo's birth in Bobowa — some give 1907, others 1908. He lost his first wife and most of their children in the war. Reb Naftula, a son from that first marriage, born 25 Sivan 5691 / 10 June 1931, survived, reached Eretz Yisroel, and later joined his father in New York, around 5711 (1951). Reb Shlomo remarried; a son of the second marriage is Reb Benzion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam. In America, Reb Shlomo re-established the Bobov court, mainly in Borough Park. His Torah was later printed as Divrei Shlomo.

After Reb Shlomo's petirah on 1 Av 5760, which was also Rosh Chodesh Av, Reb Naftula became the fourth Bobover Rebbe. He was niftar on 12 Adar II 5765 / 23 March 2005, and was buried next to his father. A date of 10 Adar I was not found in the sources used for this page. After his petirah there was a succession dispute: some of Bobov followed his half-brother, Reb Benzion Aryeh Leibish, and others followed his son-in-law, Reb Mordechai Dovid Unger, in the court known as Bobov-45. This page records the two Rebbeim who rest in the ohel; it does not take a side in that machlokes.

Historical background

The Bobov ohel stands in the Bobov section of the cemetery complex at 104 Deans Rhode Hall Road, Monmouth Junction (Deans / South Brunswick), New Jersey. The two adjoining cemeteries there, Floral Park Cemetery and Washington Cemetery, share that address and management. Kevarim.com, Yiddish Travelers, and other directories commonly list the kevarim under Floral Park Cemetery (also called Washington or Deans Cemetery), in the large Bobov ohel; a 2019 VIN report on the Bobover beis hachaim names Washington Cemetery at the same address and refers to the ohel of the Bobover Rebbeim. Wikipedia notes that some kevarim commonly listed under Floral Park are in fact in Washington Cemetery, across the street. This page therefore names the place as Floral Park / Washington Cemetery (Deans), Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. It is not in Elmont, New York, and not in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Many people come to this ohel on Lag BaOmer; that gathering is a later community minhag, and organizers cite a saying attributed to Reb Naftula in that connection. We mention it as a minhag, not as a din.

Before & after