Before entering the local cemetery, pilgrims visit a mikveh, or ritual bath, from where they proceed to the ohel, a structure built around Weisblum's grave.
There, they place written prayers on small pieces of paper at the rabbi's tomb, asking for his intercession in matters of personal importance.
Pilgrims place handwritten prayers on small slips of paper at the rabbi’s tomb, seeking his intercession in personal matters. Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
The prayers, accompanied by traditional dances and the singing of psalms, conclude with a kosher meal consisting of salmon, beef, pancakes, soup, vegetables and cholent, a traditional Sabbath stew.
Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
Witold Wójcik of the Leżajsk Hasidic Jews Foundation told Poland's PAP news agency that "for the Hasidim, life is God's greatest gift."
He described the annual event in the Polish town as "a time of joyful celebration, marked by a sense of brotherhood."
The foundation has prepared a feast for up to 12,000 pilgrims, he added.
The Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, about a 30-minute drive from Leżajsk, has handled 26 flights in the past two days from Israel, Belgium, the United States, Britain, Hungary and Romania.
Seventeen planes from Israel alone brought more than 3,000 passengers.
Weisblum was one of the founders of the Hasidic movement, which sought to revive Judaism in the 18th century. He was known as both a spiritual healer and a leader of Jewish mysticism.
Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum was a Jewish spiritual leader, or tzaddik, and a key figure in the Hasidic movement, which aimed to revive Judaism in the 18th century. He gained a reputation as a healer of souls and bodies. Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
Before World War II, Leżajsk was home to about 3,000 Jews and was an important centre of Hasidic Judaism in Poland. The town's two synagogues were burnt down in September 1939.
The tradition of annual prayers at Weisblum's tomb was revived in the 1970s.
Today, Leżajsk, a town of about 14,000 residents, remains one of the most sacred sites for Hasidic Jews, attracting pilgrims year-round for Jewish holidays and private visits.
Before World War II, Leżajsk was an important centre of Hasidic Judaism in Poland. Today, it remains one of the most sacred sites for Hasidic Jews worldwide. Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
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