Leading in Silence: The Remarkable Story of Rebbetzin Tzisia Chana Mazel

Rebbetzin Mazel didn't come from Morocco, as one might assume from her name. She doesn't have a YouTube channel, nor does she host challah bake events. She was a revered leader of Chassidim, descended from holy ancestors, yet her life ended tragically in anonymity.

Her name was Tzisia Chana. Her father was Reb Wolf of Ostroh, a disciple of the Maggid of Mezeritch, and the rabbi of Ostroh (also the hometown of the Maharsha). Tzisia Chana married Rebbe Israel, son of the renowned Tzaddik Rebbe Zusha of Anipoli, and thus acquired the family name Mazel, an acronym standing for Meshulam Zusha Lipman, the family name of the Tzaddik Rebbe Zusha of Anipoli (brother of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, both known as "the holy brothers").

In the year 1790, Reb Wolf of Ostroh made the daring move to the Land of Israel, during what was considered a special era, joined by some disciples of the Vilna Gaon and many Chassidim. He took up residency in Tiberias, and his son-in-law Rebbe Israel assumed his rabbinical and Chassidic leadership roles.

Twenty-four years later, Rebbe Israel passed away at a relatively young age, leaving the town of Ostroh without a Rebbe. Although there were scholarly sages capable of rendering halachic decisions, there was no one to spearhead the Chassidic court. Thus, Rebbetzin Tzisia Chana rose to become the leader, blessing the Chassidim, listening to their needs, and conducting the Shabbat tish.

The famous Tzaddik Rebbe Mordechai of Chernobyl visited the town and attended Rebbetzin Tzisia Chana's tish as one of the Chassidim. Subsequently, his daughter Yenta married her son, further intertwining their family ties.

For seventeen years, Rebbetzin Mazel steered her community with a firm hand, until suddenly she decided to follow in her great father's footsteps and move to the Land of Israel. Her son, Rebbe Pinchas, was of age by then and assumed the mantle of leadership, allowing Rebbetzin Mazel to make the journey to the sacred city of Tiberias as an anonymous inhabitant. This all occurred in 1831. Such fortitude it takes, to abandon a position, honor, and purpose to inhabit the land of Israel, knowing full well nothing awaited her there. Her father had long since passed, prosperity wasn't abundant, only the holiness of the Land of Israel.

Rebbetzin Mazel enjoyed six years in Tiberias when it was just a small village enclosed by walls on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, filled with tightly packed old houses. Then, in 1837, on January 1st, a devastating earthquake struck, ravaging the Galilee. The much-publicized catastrophe of Safed overshadowed the destruction in Tiberias. Huge boulders tumbled from the surrounding mountains, towers and walls tilted and collapsed. Many were buried under the rubble, but volunteers were able to retrieve and identify the body of Rebbetzin Mazel, laying her to rest in the cemetery of the Chassidic greats in Tiberias.

The story of Rebbetzin Mazel was known among the Chassidic circles and documented in the book "Menorat Zahav," published in Warsaw in 1902. Yet, the exact location of her grave became unknown over time as the tombstone suffered damage. Several years ago, a descendant of hers, Rabbi Israel Avraham Mazel, arrived in Israel, and after extensive effort, managed to locate her grave, rebuilding a new tombstone for this remarkable woman, Rebbetzin Tzisia Chana Mazel, a daughter of the holy and a leader of a community in Israel.