First Rebbe of Bobov, Shlomo Halberstam (1847 – 1905) , the first Bobover Rebbe Bobov originated with
Shlomo Halberstam, who was the grandson of Grand Rabbi
Chaim Halberstam of
Sanz, The Bobov Yeshiva was originally situated only in the town of Bobov itself. However, under his guidance, the court grew in numbers, with Hasidic youth flocking to Bobov. Subsequently, as many as sixty branches of the yeshiva under the name
Etz Chaim were established throughout Galicia. During
World War II, the Bobov Hasidic movement was destroyed. The second Rebbe himself was murdered in
the Holocaust, together with family members He first settled in the
West Side of Manhattan, later moving to the
Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The yeshiva, which was originally located at 184 Brooklyn Avenue, later moved to the nearby
Borough Park neighborhood. Shlomo Halberstam was known for his wisdom, his caring for others, and his steadfastness in not taking sides in disputes. Over the more than fifty years
mesivtas (high schools), and post-high school houses of learning. Besides schools, a summer camp for boys was founded in 1957 in
Ferndale, New York, and a girls camp, Camp Gila, was founded a few years later. At the time of his death in August 2000, he was mourned by more followers than his father had in pre-war Poland. At his funeral it was publicly announced that his oldest son Naftali would succeed him as Rebbe, and his younger brother Ben Zion would serve as
Rav Hatzair (assistant rabbi).
Fourth Bobover Rebbe, Naftali Halberstam (1931 – 2005) With Shlomo Halberstam's death, his older son,
Naftali Zvi Halberstam, succeeded him. Naftali Zvi died on March 23, 2005 among Bobover Hasidim as to who should attain the dynasty leadership. Some began to follow
Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, the younger half brother of the late Rebbe, while others followed his son-in-law Unger, who was older by one year. Unger had already ensconced himself firmly within the community by then, and could not challenge his own father's leadership of
Dombrov, which anyway was not as substantial a dynasty. The matter of succession was brought before a
beth din (religious court) in 2007, which ruled that Halberstam would be declared the fifth Rebbe of Bobov () with its headquarters on 48th Street in Borough Park, while Unger would be Rebbe of
Bobov-45 (), located on 45th Street. While the former community retained the rights to the name "Bobov", Unger's faction was permitted to use the name, provided that the qualifier be added to it. ==Bobov-45==