Rav Yaakov Aryeh Guterman of Radzymin (1792–1874) was a student of chassidic masters
Situated just north of Warsaw, the shtetl of Radzymin was home to over 2,000 Jews, and served as the headquarters of a large Polish chassidic dynasty that was almost completely wiped out during the Holocaust. Rav Yaakov Aryeh Guterman of Radzymin (1792–1874) was a student of chassidic masters including the Chozeh of Lublin, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, the Yid Hakadosh, and Rav Simcha Bunim of Peshis’cha.
Rav Yaakov Aryeh emerged as one of the leaders of Peshis’cha chassidus in central Poland following the passing of Rav Yitzchak of Vorka in 1848. He had been serving as the communal rabbi in Radzymin, and thus founded the dynasty there. After the passing of Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk in 1859 and the Chiddushei Harim of Gur in 1866, the Radzyminer Rebbe became the senior Rebbe of the Peshis’cha approach in Poland, and his leadership had a large impact on thousands of chassidim across the region.
Upon Rav Yaakov Aryeh’s passing, he was succeeded by his son Rav Shlomo Yehoshua Dovid, who in turn was succeeded by his son Rav Aharon Menachem Mendel Guterman (1860–1934), a close student of Rav Avraham Borenstein, the Avnei Nezer of Sochatchov; and of Rav Shlomo Zalman Schneerson, Chabad Rebbe of Kapust. Prior to his father’s passing in 1903, Rav Aharon Menachem Mendel enjoyed a successful career in business. For many years he resided in Warsaw, and was a leading advocate for Polish Jewry.
Rav Aharon Menachem Mendel initiated several projects to help Jewish soldiers in the Polish military, Jewish inmates in Polish prisons, and Jewish students in Polish universities. For the latter group he established kosher kitchens in proximity to their campuses. He also headed a Warsaw-based organization called Shomrei Shabbos, making rounds on Friday afternoon to encourage shopkeepers to close their stores for Shabbos. Through his activism he developed relationships with several Polish political leaders, and had a personal audience with the leader of Poland, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski.
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