Mordechai Dovid Unger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title | Rebbe of Bobov-45 |
| Personal | |
| Born | Mordechai Dovid Unger 1954 (age 69–70)[1] New York |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Rivka Halberstam |
| Children | Yosef, Shulim, Chaim Benzion, Yechezkel, Moshe Yehoshea |
| Parent |
|
| Jewish leader | |
| Predecessor | Naftali Halberstam |
| Began | March 23, 2005 |
| Ended | Current |
| Main work | Sheira D'bei Rav |
| Dynasty | Bobov-45 |
Mordechai Dovid Unger (Hebrew: הרב מרדכי דוד אונגער, born 1954) is the first Rebbe of Bobov-45.
Unger was born to Yaakov Yitzchok Unger of Dombrov.[1][2] He is the younger son-in-law of Naftali Zvi Halberstam, the fourth Bobover Rebbe.[1]
Following the death of his father-in-law right before the Purim holiday in 2005,[3] a dispute arose as to who should be the Grand Rebbe of the then 120,000 Bobov Hasidim worldwide.[1] Some began to follow Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, his father-in-law's half-brother,[1] while others followed the older (by one year) Unger, who had by then already ensconced himself firmly within the community.[1] Unger could not challenge his own father for leadership of Dombrov, which anyway was not as substantial a dynasty as Bobov.[4] The matter of succession was brought before a beth din (religious court) in 2007, which ruled that Halberstam would be declared Rebbe of Bobov (אדמו"ר מבאבוב) with its headquarters on 48th Street in Borough Park, Brooklyn,[5] while Unger would be Rebbe of Bobov-45 (אדמו"ר מבאבוב-45), located on 45th Street.[5][6] Although some leading Torah scholars, such as Yechezkel Roth, disagreed with the ruling, Unger agreed to abide by it.[citation needed]
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams visited Bobov–45 as part of his 2017 re-election campaign.[7]
