Sam Shuman: Of Mice and Hasidic Men: The Populist Revival of Reb Shayele & Its Lessons for the Left

Originally recorded on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in Washington, DC Of Mice and Hasidic Men: The Populist Revival of Reb Shayele & Its Lessons for the Left with Prof. Sam Shuman Prof. Sam Shuman asks what we might learn about Jewish power and powerlessness from a contemporary Hasidic populist revival movement? Shuman’s talk will draw upon their fieldwork in four annual pilgrimages to the gravesite of Reb Shayele of Kerestir (1851-1925), a Hungarian Hasidic miracle-worker, who has been resurrected as the Jewish patron saint of hospitality. As the consummate host to his “guests,” Shayele performs prophylactic miracles that protect his followers from unwelcome “intruders” (rodents, auditors, police, inspectors, etc.), as well as auspicious miracles that facilitate Jewish social reproduction (children, health, and livelihood). Orphaned at a young age and lacking dynastic pedigree, Shayele is venerated as a rebbe of the people—one who provides for his followers' everyday material needs (in contrast to “elite,” dynastic Hasidic leaders) and protects them from non-Jewish “enemies.” Part of "Jewish Reckoning with Power: A Halachic Left Learning Series" About the series: Much of our recent Torah, writing, and teaching has engaged directly with the urgent realities of Israel/Palestine. In this program, we are intentionally stepping back, toward a broader and more abstract question that underlies so many of those conversations: How does Jewish tradition understand, justify, resist, and reckon with power? Each day of learning will feature shiurim from multiple teachers exploring different dimensions of Jewish engagement with power: textual, halachic, historical, and ethical. While the sessions will not all address the same sources or case studies, together they aim to open a shared conversation and provide conceptual tools that can deepen our Torah learning and inform contemporary Jewish moral and political thinking. --- About Halachic Left: https://www.halachicleft.org/about Join our email list: https://halachicleft.substack.com/ Halachic Left Public WhatsApp Announcements: https://chat.whatsapp.com/K2zIPRndJBW... *** We believe in learning Torah from all. Speaking does not imply agreement with Halachic Left's political positions. Institutional affiliations are for identification purposes only.