Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism is a Jewish religious movement. It began in Eastern Europe in the middle of the 18th century.
Today, there are diverse Hasidic communities all over the world. The followers of Hasidism are called Hasidim (meaning pious ones).
Hasidism teaches about the importance of serving G-d with happiness. It is inspired by traditions of Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah).
The found of Hasidism was Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, also known as the Baal Shem Tov (literally ‘Master of the Good Name’). Hasidic communities are organized around rebbes (spiritual leaders).
Hasidic people often wear distinctive clothing, which is varied and differs between communities. Their practices and lifestyles also differ from other streams of Judaism.
Hasidic communities were hit particularly hard by the Holocaust.
Text adapted from Simple English Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0.
Hasidic Family in Street - Borough Park - Hasidic District - Brooklyn by Adam Jones via Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 2.0.
