''Gitter Id', a good Jew, was the name given in large areas before the Holocaust to the leader of a Hasidic community, what is today called a Rebbe.
With the end of the oath-taking ceremony for the Rebbe of Mazlatsov, and the internal media debate on the matter, it seems that the definition best suits him.
A good Jew.
The Rebbe spoke to everyone on their level and at eye level - and did not go to give ingenious and in-depth lessons in the exegetes and poskim, in which he was well-versed. He gathered around him those seeking salvation and prayed with them - and not an elite group of Chan scholars to study Kabbalah after midnight.
He treated everyone as an individual follower - and did not institute a complete system 'from above' while secluding himself in the Temple of the Tooth.
He showed kindness to everyone - and did not check which group exactly was seeking his blessing and advice, what his interests were, and what benefit he would gain as a result. He attended every Mitzvah meal he was invited to - without any ulterior motives. He performed an act of kindness himself - and not through affiliated organizations with large sums of money and donors, to glorify his name. He built his own beit midrash and community - and did not inherit an organized community.
The simplicity of his manners and his temperament were what won over the masses who so admired him, including sports players and secular MKs who flocked to his door. Even Haredi publicists and journalists, known for their cynicism, were generous and volunteered to help him and publicize him.
And that's what bothered his critics so much. Where do we find a Rebbe who rose from the bottom like this, helping everyone, welcoming everyone, assisting without reckoning, coming simply and without reckoning with prestige and respect everywhere? Without Shin Bet battalions directing traffic and letting in only those they want to visit?
But that is precisely his praise and his secret. The simplicity of the proceedings, the love for every Jew, and his publicity were all in a simplistic manner. Without publicists hiding behind the scenes, and paying a lot of money to the photo newspapers, so that their Rebbe would get a bigger picture than the competing Rebbe. Here, too, the publicity was visible to the eye of the sun, there is a good Jew here who does good things and makes Jews happy, and we publicize it. And the public saw, enjoyed, loved and admired him, and this was evident in his life and after. Before he was officially crowned Rebbe and even more so, afterwards, when he became more famous.
So maybe he wasn't exactly a 'Rebbe' as we've become accustomed to seeing in recent years, but the name 'Zlatashov' definitely suited him. From a study of the teachings of the head of the dynasty, the Maggid of Zlatashov, an immense love of Israel for every Jew is evident from every corner, and he defines the role of the righteous as one who communicates with all the members of the generation and does good to them.
Such was the good Jew from Zlatsov.
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