With the current talk about an unheard of split in the storied Chassidic court of Ger, it's worth examining the historical context about why such a move is so unusual. From it's roots in Pshischa and Kotzk, Polish Chassidus experience quite a few upheavals and splits before the Ger dynasty stabilized in the late 19th century. Under the able leadership of the Sfas Emes and even more so of his son Rav Avraham Mordechai Alter, the Imrei Emes, Ger became the largest, most dominant and leading chassidic group in pre war Poland. The Gerrer Rebbe led this veritable empire for 43 years, with the full support of all of his family members, and was dubbed by the Polish press as "the king of the Jews". Following the decimation of Polish Jewry, Ger began to rebuild, this time under the watch of the Bais Yisroel. It was only following the death of the last of the Polish generation that a rebuilt, confident and strong Ger could possibly think of dissent or a split within the community.

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