Hillel Zeitlin

Hillel Zeitlin was a prolific, passionate author of articles, books, and poetry on a wide range of topics. Born in 1871 to a Chabad Chasidic family, he veered towards secular philosophy and literature as a young adult, studying Nietzsche, Spinoza, and others. These interests continued even as he returned to his roots and began to shape a neo-Chasidic approach, striving to reenergize the core “treasures'' of Chasidut that he felt many Chasidim lacked, such as all-encompassing love for God, Torah, and other people. He was also politically active and supported territorialist Zionism. Zeitlin was killed by Nazis, reportedly while wrapped in his tallit and tefillin, his beloved Zohar in hand.