“When our kehillah in Lakewood first began, we were the only nusach Sefard shul in the neighborhood. Most of the houses weren’t even built yet—almost the entire area was still a forest,” recalls Rabbi Weisblum, the Rebbe of Shedlitz.

Today, the Shedlitz kehillah is a well-known anchor in the northeastern part of Lakewood, particularly in the Villas area, recognized for its uplifting atmosphere and genuine chassidishe varemkeit under the leadership of the Shedlitz Rebbe, Rabbi Weisblum. Yet the roots of this kehillah stretch far beyond Lakewood—and far beyond our time.

Shedlitz, known in Polish as Siedlce, is a city about an hour from Warsaw. It was there that the first Shedlitz Rebbe, the Rebbe R’ Gershon, lived. He was a devoted chassid of the Tchortkover Rebbe. 

Once, while spending Simchas Torah with his rebbe during Yom Tov, the Rebbe R’ Gershon was suddenly overcome with a deep and unsettling feeling that he had lost his parnassah. The feeling disturbed him greatly, as he didn’t work and was supported entirely by his father-in-law, the Zelichover Rebbe.

On Isru Chag, he approached the Tchortkover Rebbe and asked what this strange sensation meant. At the time, the Rebbe was seated at a table with ten people around him. When the Rebbe R’ Gershon entered, the Tchortkover Rebbe motioned for someone to quietly lock the door.

It soon became clear that the feeling was accurate. Unbeknownst to him, his father-in-law—the source of his livelihood—had passed away during Yom Tov. The Tchortkover Rebbe then said, “A Yid who can have such hargashos should be taking kvittlach.”

Hearing this, Rebbe R’ Gershon panicked and attempted to flee the room, but the door was locked. The Tchortkover Rebbe then instructed everyone present to write a kvittel to the Rebbe R’ Gershon. It was at that moment that the Shedlitz dynasty was born. 

“The people of Shedlitz at the time were misnagdim who strongly opposed the Chassidic movement,” Rabbi Weisblum explains. “They decided they would not allow a Rebbe and chassidim to settle in their city. But for reasons only tzaddikim understand, Rebbe R’ Gershon felt that this was precisely the city where he needed to plant roots and spread Torah and chassidus.”

The Rebbe instructed his gabbai, R’ Leibish Kitne, to travel to Shedlitz and find a house that could also accommodate a shul. After searching, they found what seemed to be the perfect home and purchased it—only to discover later that the townspeople had intentionally sold them a house believed to be inhabited by sheidim, hoping it would frighten the Rebbe into leaving town.

“When the Rebbe heard about this plot,” Rabbi Weisblum continues, “he handed his walking stick to R’ Leibish and another associate, along with a few lulkes (Yiddish for smoking pipes) and instructed them to go to the house, place the lulkes in the windows, and sleep there without fear. He told them, ‘If anything appears, take my stick and say clearly: From now on, this house belongs to the Rebbe R’ Gershon, and you have no permission to enter.’”

That night, R’ Leibish could not sleep. Suddenly, terrifying screams filled the house, and the door burst open. A small goy-like figure entered, with fire coming from its mouth. Trembling, R’ Leibish grabbed the Rebbe’s stick and declared exactly as instructed. Instantly, the sheid disappeared.

When they returned and reported what had happened, the Rebbe R’ Gershon was troubled by only one thing—that the sheidim had dared to enter at all.

Once the Rebbe settled in Shedlitz and the townspeople saw who he truly was, the city quickly transformed into a thriving chassidishe center. Many great Chassidic courts flourished there, including Biala, Partziphe, and Ger, which maintained numerous shtieblach in the city.

“When the Rebbe R’ Gershon passed away,” Rabbi Weisblum continues, “his son, R’ Shia Asher, became rebbe. He was later followed by his son—my grandfather, Reb Eliezer Paltiel—who served as rav in Shenyitze (Siennica). At that time, he was a rav rather than a rebbe, since his father was still alive. Tragically, my great-grandfather, R’ Shia Asher, perished during the war, and it was then that my grandfather assumed the role of Shenyitze Rebbe.”

“My father, zichrono livrachah, served as the Shenyitze Rebbe of Boro Park, where he had a shul on 51st Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues.”

After his marriage, Rabbi Weisblum lived in Monsey for several years, where he was a chavrusa with the Toldos Aharon Rebbe of Yerushalayim, who was residing there at the time as well. He later moved to Chicago, where he played a key role in helping the local Veitzener yeshivah flourish. It was there that the first Shedlitz kehillah in America was established.

“Shedlitz was once a large chassidus, with over 40 shtieblach spread across Poland,” Rabbi Weisblum says. “All of it was wiped out during the war. I felt it was only right to rebuild what my heilige grandparents had stood for.”

When his children reached high school age, Rabbi Weisblum decided to return to the Tri-State area to further their chinuch. “At the time, I didn’t know anyone in Lakewood. I didn’t know which neighborhoods were considered ‘in town.’ I simply found a house that was available and bought it.”

A few weeks after arriving, on a cold winter night in 2001, Shedlitz opened its doors in Lakewood. The first minyan took place in the Rebbe’s garage, then moved to a basement, and eventually to its current home at 2 Kew Gardens Drive, purchased when the kehillah sought to build a mikveh.

Today, the shul hosts not only daily and Shabbos tefillos, but also a kollel. “People ask me all the time, ‘Why open a kollel? It’s just headaches,’” Rabbi Weisblum says. “But back then, besides the yeshivah, there was no chassidishe kollel in Lakewood. It hurt me to see yungerleit sitting without structure. I wanted our beis medrash to hum with Torah all day.”

The Rebbe leads by example, infusing the kehillah with a geshmak in tefillah and genuine warmth. “This is a no-pressure shul,” he emphasizes. “Our focus is our children and bachurim—bringing them close and making them feel essential. The job of a shul today is to make it so comfortable and inviting that our youth choose the beis medrash over all the invitations from the street. When a child feels he belongs here, nothing outside can compete.”

Silence during davening is strictly upheld. “I once said in a drashah, ‘The shul has four doors—only one is an entrance; the others are exits. Anyone who needs to talk is welcome to step outside.’” He smiles and adds, “Believe it or not, the atmosphere is joyful, and the tefillos are on a different level.”

Most of the minhagim in Shedlitz, as well as many of its niggunim, trace their origins to Koznitz and Zlotchov.

“One of the more unique minhagim we have,” Rabbi Weisblum explains, “takes place on Simchas Torah night, even before the first hakafah begins. We call out the names of our zeides—the Rebbes—going all the way back to the Baal Shem Tov. In addition, the nusach we use is the Koznitzer nusach. The kriyah we read on Simchas Torah night also comes from the Koznitzer Maggid and consists of Veyitein lecha, Hamalach haoel, and Mah tovu. These were the three aliyos the Koznitzer Maggid himself would lein, and that’s exactly what we do here as well.”

The calling begins with the Mezritcher Maggid, followed by the Malach, the Rebbe R’ Elimelech of Lizensk, the Apter Rav, R’ Shlomo of Karlin, the Yid HaKadosh, the Koznitzer Maggid, and others. “There’s a specific nusach that’s recited,” the Rebbe adds, “and it’s sung to the tune of chosson Torah. It creates a powerful sense of connection, as if all the generations are standing with us.”

On Rosh Hashanah, the minhag in Shedlitz—like in many Ashkenazic kehillos—is to wear a kittel, just as on Yom Kippur.

When it comes to Selichos, Shedlitz follows a distinct custom. The Yud-Gimmel Middos Selichos, traditionally said on the day before Erev Yom Kippur, are instead recited on either the Monday or Thursday preceding Erev Yom Kippur, following the minhag passed down through the generations.

Shedlitz today stands as a living continuation of a once-flourishing chassidus, rebuilt not only with bricks and mortar but with heart, purpose, and mesorah. Through the Rebbe’s leadership, the kehillah carries forward the spirit of its heilige roots while speaking directly to the needs of our generation—creating a makom of sincere tefillah, vibrant Torah learning, and genuine warmth for every Yid who walks through its doors. From its rich minhagim to its focus on the next generation, Shedlitz is not merely preserving the past; it’s building the future, one neshamah at a time.

Like so many Jewish communities in Poland, the kehillah of Shedlitz was completely destroyed during the war. About 10 years ago, Rabbi Weisblum made a decision that would turn into a years-long mission: to locate the tzion of his grandfather, the Rebbe R’ Gershon of Shedlitz.

“I called a travel agent and said, ‘Please book me a flight to Warsaw—for 10 days,’” the Rebbe recalls.

At the time, none of his children were able to join him, so the Rebbetzin accompanied him. “The very first day we arrived, it was pouring rain,” he says. “I went to the beis hachaim wearing a raincoat and began picking up every stone I could find—cleaning it, trying to stand it upright—anything to make some sense of the place and move closer to finding my grandfather’s tzion.”

He searched every mound of earth, hired locals to help, and even bought a shovel to dig where possible. That first trip ended without success—but not without resolve.

“I wasn’t discouraged,” Rabbi Weisblum says. “I went to the Warsaw Library—the largest library in Poland—and hired locals to bring me every book, record, and newspaper connected to Shedlitz. I hired historians and archaeologists. They all told me the same thing: ‘Rabbi, this is impossible. You’ll never find it.’”

“I proved them wrong,” he says quietly.

For eight consecutive summers, the Rebbe returned to Poland. Then, one day, during his search, he found it—the tzion of his heilige zeide.

The work didn’t end there. Over the next two years, Rabbi Weisblum worked closely with local authorities to obtain permits and restore the tzion, rebuilding it so it could once again stand with dignity.

Two years ago, the Rebbe led a grand nesiah with the Shedlitz kehillah of Lakewood to kivrei tzaddikim across Europe. The highlight of the trip was Shedlitz itself, where the hisorerus and atmosphere were described by participants as unforgettable.

Another kehillah trip is already being planned.