Apta, a town of tzaddikim

Tzaddikim and rabbonim of Apta

The great Chassidic leaders who served in Apta, lived there, or are buried there. Verified names and details only.

  • R' Meir HaLevi Rotenberg of Apta

    the Ohr LaShamayim

    In Apta
    Rav of Apta after the Ohev Yisroel until his passing; talmid of the Chozeh of Lublin; founder of the Apta dynasty
    Years
    1760–1827
    Yahrzeit
    25 Tammuz
    Resting place
    Apta, in the ohel to the right of the cemetery gate
    Seforim
    Ohr LaShamayim on the Torah
    Family
    His elder brother, R' Mordechai HaLevi of Stashov, a talmid of the Chozeh, founder of the Stashov line
    Tziyun page

  • R' Pinchas HaLevi Rotenberg of Apta

    son of the Ohr LaShamayim

    In Apta
    Succeeded his father as rav of Apta
    Years
    d. 1837
    Resting place
    Apta, in his father's ohel, at his right

  • R' Yaakov Biderman ("R' Yankele Apter")

    son of R' Nechemia of Lelov, grandson of R' Dovid of Lelov

    In Apta
    Earlier rav of Iwaniska; then rav of Apta after R' Pinchas; married a granddaughter of the Ohr LaShamayim
    Years
    d. 1858
    Yahrzeit
    18 Teves
    Resting place
    Apta, in the Ohr LaShamayim's ohel, at his left

  • R' Shalom Rokeach, Hy"d

    youngest son of the Maharid of Belz

    In Apta
    Rav of Apta from 1931 until the war years, the last rav of the town; his brother R' Aharon of Belz came to Apta for his installation

  • R' Shmuel (Eibeschitz) of Apta, the Maggid

    author of Toras Shmuel

    In Apta
    Talmid of the Maggid of Kozhnitz; rav of Warka, later maggid in Apta
    Years
    d. 17 Av 5600 (1840)
    Yahrzeit
    17 Av
    Resting place
    Apta, in a second ohel attached to the Ohr LaShamayim's
    Seforim
    Toras Shmuel
    Matzeiva
    "R' Shmuel son of R' Naftali Hirtz … maggid meisharim and moreh tzedek in our community … ascended on high on Sunday, the seventeenth of Av 5600" — engraved on his ohel in Apta

  • R' Avraham Shlomo Epstein of Ożarów

    the Ożarów Rebbe

    In Apta
    Fled to Apta in the First World War and passed away there
    Years
    1864–1917
    Yahrzeit
    11 Cheshvan
    Resting place
    Apta, in a third ohel attached to the first

  • R' Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apta

    the Ohev Yisroel, the "Apter Rov"

    In Apta
    In his youth rav of Kolbuszowa, then rav of Apta in the first decade of the 19th century; talmid of R' Elimelech of Lizhensk; later in Iasi and Mezhybizh
    Years
    1748–1825
    Yahrzeit
    5 Nissan
    Resting place
    Mezhybizh (Ukraine), near the Baal Shem Tov — not in Apta
    Seforim
    Ohev Yisroel; Toras Emes

  • R' Yehuda Landau

    father of the Noda BiYehuda

    In Apta
    Rav and Council of Four Lands parnas in Apta
    Years
    d. 13 Kislev 5498 (1737)
    Yahrzeit
    13 Kislev
    Resting place
    Apta

  • R' Eliyahu Kalmankash son of R' Avraham of Lublin

    In Apta
    Av beis din of Lwów, and at the end of his life of Apta
    Years
    d. 8 Nissan 5396 (1636)
    Yahrzeit
    8 Nissan
    Resting place
    Apta, a matzeva on the hill of the old cemetery

    The oldest dated grave.

  • R' Moshe Mat

    author of Matteh Moshe, talmid of the Maharshal

    In Apta
    Av beis din of Apta
    Years
    d. 1606
    Resting place
    Apta — by tradition, a large round stone on the hill of the old cemetery
    Seforim
    Matteh Moshe

  • R' Shabsai the bookbinder

    father of the Maggid of Kozhnitz

    In Apta
    A chassid of the Baal Shem Tov's generation; lived in Apta
    Resting place
    Apta, a small plain matzeva near the ohel marked only "R' Shabsai Korech"
    It is told
    When the Maggid of Kozhnitz came to Apta for his father's yahrzeit, the whole town ran to him with kvitlach and requests

  • R' Moshe Leib of Sassov

    In Apta
    Settled in Apta around 1790

  • R' Yaakov Yitzchak of Peshischa

    the Yid HaKadosh

    In Apta
    Settled in Apta around 1795
    Resting place
    Przysucha (Peshischa)

  • R' Yisroel Hopstein, the Maggid of Kozhnitz

    In Apta
    Born in Apta (1736/7)
    Resting place
    Kozienice (Kozhnitz)

  • R' Yechezkel Landau

    the Noda BiYehuda

    In Apta
    Born in Apta (1713)

This list will grow as further names are verified.

Yahrzeit calendar

The Hebrew date and the next English date. The Hebrew day begins the evening before.

Hebrew dateNext date
R' Avraham Shlomo Epstein of Ożarów, the Ożarów Rebbe11 CheshvanThursday, October 22, 2026
י״א חשון תשפ״ז		Add
R' Yehuda Landau, father of the Noda BiYehuda13 KislevMonday, November 23, 2026
י״ג כסלו תשפ״ז		Add
R' Yaakov Biderman ("R' Yankele Apter"), grandson of R' Dovid of Lelov18 TevesMonday, December 28, 2026
י״ח טבת תשפ״ז		Add
R' Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apta, the Ohev Yisroel, the "Apter Rov"5 NissanMonday, April 12, 2027
ה׳ ניסן תשפ״ז		Add
R' Eliyahu Kalmankash son of R' Avraham of Lublin8 NissanThursday, April 15, 2027
ח׳ ניסן תשפ״ז		Add
R' Meir HaLevi Rotenberg of Apta, the Ohr LaShamayim25 TammuzFriday, July 30, 2027
כ״ה תמוז תשפ״ז		Add
R' Shmuel (Eibeschitz) of Apta, the Maggid, author of Toras Shmuel17 AvFriday, August 20, 2027
י״ז אב תשפ״ז		Add

More rabbis who served in Apta or were born there

NameConnection to Apta
R' Yaakov HeilprinAv beis din of Apta; d. 1645
R' Eliezer Ashkenazi (Ish Tzvi)Rav in Apta; settled in Eretz Yisroel in 1651
R' Yitzchak "Spitzkopf"Av beis din of Apta c. 1665–1670; rav of Kraków from 1676
R' Yehoshua Heshel (an early rav of Apta, not the Ohev Yisroel)Av beis din of Apta 1680–1690
R' Meir ben R' Binyamin WolfAv beis din of Apta; the Chacham Tzvi lived in the town in his time
R' Yitzchak Segal LandauUncle of the Noda BiYehuda; born in Apta, rav and rosh yeshiva there
R' Aharon HaKohen, compiler of Kesser Shem TovSettled in Apta
R' Avraham Abba of AptaA product of the Apta yeshiva; av beis din of Vienna; d. 1628