Liozna

Liozna (English: Liozno, Russian: Лиозно) is an urban settlement in the Mohilev region of Belarus, which served as the cradle of Chabad Chassidus. Today, most of the settlement's residents are non-Jews, and no trace remains of the place's glorious Jewish heritage.

History

The settlement of Liozna was established in 1525 in an area bordering between the Vitebsk district and the Orsha district in Belarus (White Russia), which was then under Polish government control, near the Smolensk train station. Many Jews settled in the area, and in 1654 reached its peak of Jewish settlement, when most of the settlement's residents were Jewish.

The Jewish community in the area belonged to the general stream of Judaism, which opposed the teachings of Chassidus. One of the city's residents, the grandfather of the Alter Rebbe's mother, Rabbi Avraham, became close to the Baal Shem Tov and began to spread the method of Chassidus among the city's residents.

Later, Rabbi Baruch, Rabbi Avraham's son-in-law, bought an estate near the town of Liozna, where he worked the land and raised his children, primarily Rabbi Shneur Zalman - the Alter Rebbe.

During the Time of the Alter Rebbe

In 1769, the town sought a person of stature to serve as the Maggid Meisharim of the town to inspire the public with his sermons, and appointed the Alter Rebbe to this position, who later also accepted the position of Mara D'asra.

When the Alter Rebbe came to settle in the city, he opened a yeshiva for young married men called 'Chadarim', and guided them in their studies, with his younger brothers helping him manage the yeshiva, which numbered about one hundred students.

While residing in Liozna, the Alter Rebbe established the approach of Chabad Chassidus and began to publicize his method throughout White Russia. Within several years, the Chassidic approach spread and inspired thousands of Jews who began flocking to Liozna. The Alter Rebbe's time became limited, and he could no longer continue serving in the rabbinical position, so he asked the community leadership to appoint another rabbi in his place, while stipulating that questions regarding tumah and taharah would continue to be directed to him.

In 1777, the Alter Rebbe joined Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Horodok's journey to ascend to the Holy Land, but when the convoy reached Mohilev, Rabbi Menachem Mendel instructed him to stay and lead the Chassidic movement in White Russia. He returned to Vilna, with the city's residents taking upon themselves the expenses of maintaining his household and hosting the guests who would come to receive instructions and guidance in serving Hashem.

After the Alter Rebbe's arrest in 1799, the Russian government wanted to force him to live in Petersburg to monitor his movements, but through the influence of the Poritz who ruled over the Lyady district, he received government permission to move his residence to Lyady, and he relocated there with his entire family and many of his chassidim.

During the Time of the Mitteler Rebbe

After the end of the Russian-French War in 1813, during which the Alter Rebbe's family fled from Napoleon, his family had nowhere to return to in Lyady, as Napoleon had burned down the Alter Rebbe's house when he reached Lyady.

As a result, from the village of Pyena where the Alter Rebbe passed away, the Mitteler Rebbe and his family returned to Liozna, where they stayed for one Shabbos. However, since the town's residents could not take upon themselves the maintenance of the court, the Mitteler Rebbe had to seek another place to establish his residence, and moved to live in the town of Lubavitch, where the regional governor took upon himself to build the Alter Rebbe's house and help support his family members.

During the Time of the Tzemach Tzedek

During the time of the Tzemach Tzedek, Rabbi Aharon Levin served as the town's rabbi, who later became connected to the Kopust Rebbes.

When the Tzemach Tzedek established his network of yeshivos which he headed, he established one of the central branches in Liozna, with the entire network having about six hundred select students.

On his way to the Rabbinical Assembly of 1843, the Tzemach Tzedek stopped in Liozna and prayed at his mother's gravesite for success in the assembly's matters.

During the Time of the Rebbe Rashab

During the time of the Rebbe Rashab, Rabbi Avraham Klatzkin served as the town's rabbi.

In the summer of 1905, the Rebbe Rashab traveled for rest for health purposes to a grove near Liozna, and visited the town on his way.

The Town Today

Today, about seven thousand people live in the town, including a few individual Jews, without any communal Jewish activity. In the town's cemetery lies the Rebbetzin Devorah Leah, the Alter Rebbe's daughter, and there are those who travel to pray at her grave.

In 2003, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Kaminetzky traveled to the town and tried to locate sites mentioned in Chabad stories, and documented his journey in the film "Journey to Chabad History" which was released in 2004.

Notable Natives

• The Alter Rebbe
• The Mitteler Rebbe
• The Tzemach Tzedek
• Chaya Mushka Schneerson (wife of the Tzemach Tzedek)
• The Jewish painter Marc Chagall
• Mrs. Rachel, grandmother of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
• Aharon Levin - Rabbi of Liozna
• Reb Eizik Mechadesh from the chassidim of the Alter Rebbe

See Also

• The Takanot of Liozna