Israel Friedman of Ruzhyn

Israel Friedman of Ruzhyn (Hebrew: ישראל פרידמן מרוז'ין) (5 October 1796 – 9 October 1850), also called Israel Ruzhin, was a Hasidic Rebbe in 19th-century Ukraine and Austria. Known as Der Heiliger Ruzhiner (Yiddish: דער הייליגער רוז'ינער, "The Holy One from Ruzhyn"), he conducted his court with regal pomp and splendor and attracted thousands of Hasidim, making Ruzhin the largest and most influential dynasty in the southwest Pale of Settlement. Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, who was said to be jealous of the Rebbe's wealth and influence, had the Rebbe imprisoned for nearly two years on an unsubstantiated murder charge. After his release, the Rebbe fled to Austria, where he re-established his court in Sadigura, attracted thousands of Hasidim, provided for the Hasidic community in Israel, and inaugurated the construction of the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Friedman was the first and only Ruzhiner Rebbe. However, his sons and grandsons founded their own dynasties, collectively known as the "House of Ruzhin". These dynasties, which follow many of the traditions of the Ruzhiner Rebbe, are Bohush, Boyan, Chortkov, Husiatyn, Sadigura, and Shtefanesht. The founders of the Vizhnitz, Skver, and Vasloi Hasidic dynasties were related to the Ruzhiner Rebbe through his daughters.