Forgotten dynasty

Thanks to reader CE for sending me the links listed below


בעל "דור רביעי" ז"ל

Ask most people today who was Klausenberger Rav before the war and they'll say Reb Yekusiel Yida Halberstam, zt"l. They may even tell you how his then-uncle the Satmar Rov got him the job, and he later stabbed him in the back by speaking out against him... But chances are that's all they'd know. Those more knowledgeable may say Glasner, but he's basically forgotten about, despite his scholarship and pedigree. It's tough out there, even for the bluebloods. Once you're blacklisted no yichus will help. In Hungary you could not be inclined to Zionism, no matter who you were. Reb Moshe Shmuel was the oldest great grandson of the Chasam Sofer, thus entitling himself Dor Revi'i of his elter zeide. He left Klausenberg and made Aliya in the 1920s after 40-something years as Rav, saying how after the atrocities of WWI he could no longer stay in Europe. They say even marched in Zionist parades in K'berg, waving the Zionist flag! The holy Chasam Sofer's Eynikel! They tell a story how the Nasader Rov, darling of the kanoyim, would tell travel around checking Mikvaos in various towns and cities of Hungary/Transylvania. He arrived in Cluj (K'berg) and checked the mikvah, deeming it pasul, as he often did. The problem was that he would not speak to Rav Glasner, because of the latter's open Zionist tendencies. So he opened the door to his house, shouted "Kloysenborger Roov, di mikveh iz poosil!" and left. Never looking at or speaking to RMSG...

A biography of RMSG


בנו בעל "דור דורים" ז"ל

Reb Akiva Glasner succeeded his father as Rov of K'berg and served until the deportation of the Jews in 1944. He was deported to Bergen Belsen but was saved from the jaws of death by the Kasztner transport, later living in Zurich until his passing. Him being a (sort of clandestine) Zionist it makes sense that he was one of the lucky few. I wonder if he talked with the Satmar Rov on the train... The biographers say that he hid his Zionism so as not to incur the wrath of those who vilified his father. While he was in K'berg, that is. Later on he was not bashful of his views anymore. The "Sefard" kehillah there was founded so as to separate from his Zionist father. They blame the chassidim who came from Poland for the machlokes; until then - they say - all was well. They always tell you to look at what happened to the descendants of these albeit great Rabbonim who embraced Zionism; they mostly assimilated into the Mizrachi and worse, often leaving the fold completely. That - they say - is proof that the kanoyim were - and are still - correct in opposing it. They point to Rav Herzog and others as proof. In the case of the Glasners we do have Harav Schlesinger of Monsey, known Maggid Shiur and Darshan to refute that theory just a little bit... Please see the links posted here about the Glasners to get a full picture of the two men, especially the DR.

Read about RAG