Photograph: Stone synagogue

European Jews

Podolia province, Olgopolsky district, Shtetl of Bershad

1924

Gelatin silver printing with chemical development (DOP)

11 x 8,3

РЭМ 4161-6

In the shtetl of Bershad, in the late 18th and early 19th century, there lived the prominent Hasidic tzadik Raphael, the founder of the creed of “Bershad” Hasidim, which existed up to the end of the 19th century. Tzadik Raphael was renowned for his extreme modesty and absolute honesty. The “Bershad” Hasidim differed from other ones by praying quietly and calmly, without fervent expression of emotions as in other Hasidic brands. The residents of Bershad were respected in neighboring shtetls, and its grooms and brides were considered as the most pious