Avraham Brandwein

Rabbi Avraham Brandwein, the current "Admor" of Stretten, is a great Israeli Kabbalah scholar and is direct descendant of the famous first "Admor" of Stretten.

Background

His family tree includes many of the great chassidic masters, including the Maggid of Mezritsch, Elimelech of Lizhensk and Levy Yitschak of Berditshev. Born in Israel in 1945, Brandwein is the seventh generation in his family to live in Israel. His family originally settled in Tsfat, the city of Kabbalists.

His father, Rav Yehudah Tzvi, was the previous "Admor" and a great scholar of Kabbalah.

Brandwein served in the Israel Defense Forces in artillery and was among the soldiers that crossed the Suez Canal into Egypt during the Yom Kippur war.

Ordination

Rav Brandwein was ordained as a Rabbi by "G'dolim" representing the entire Orthodox community in Israel and also holds an M.A. He has integrated Charedi life with active participation in the life of the modern state. Brandwein has served as a rabbi in the Absorption and Immigration Department of the Jewish Agency providing spiritual assistance to many new immigrants.

Teaching and Writing

Since 1985 he has taught Torah and Chassidut throughout Israel. A widely respected scholar, he has edited more than twenty volumes of classical Kabbalistic texts. A soft spoken, gentle man of great inner strength, hundreds of people turn to him every year for spiritual guidance and support.

Brandwein established a yeshiva in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem where he teaches Kabbalah. He is known for the depth and clarity of his teachings and strives to bring Jews back to Torah.

References

*http://www.projectmind.org/exoteric/brandwein.html
*http://www.rickross.com/reference/kabbalah/kabbalah25.html