Israel ben Eliezer or Yisroel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov or as the BeShT, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which means "Master of the Good Name," a term for a holy man who wields the secret name of God.
Gravestone of the Baal Shem Tov in Medzhybizh (before restoration in 2006–2008), inscribed רבי ישראל בעל שם טוב
The Baal Shem Tov's synagogue in Medzhybizh was destroyed by the Nazis and a replica was later built on the site as a museum (photo c. 1915).
The Baal Shem Tov's personal Siddur
1758 Polish tax census of Medzhybizh showing "Baal Shem" in house #95
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism, is a religious movement within Judaism that arose as a spiritual revival movement in Poland and contemporary Western Ukraine, during the 18th century, and spread rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those affiliated with the movement, known as hassidim, reside in Israel and in the United States.
A tish of the Boyan Hasidic dynasty in Jerusalem, holiday of Sukkot, 2009
Rebuilt synagogue of the Baal Shem Tov.
Rebbe Yisroel Hopsztajn, a great promulgator of Hasidism in Poland, blessing acolytes c. 1800. Hasidism gave the elite Tzadik a social mystical role.
The Kaliver Rebbe, Holocaust survivor, inspiring his court on the festival of Sukkot