Baal Shem Tov — Israel ben Eliezer (c. 1698–1760)

Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov ("Master of the Good Name"), founded Hasidism in Podolia, settling in Miedzybóz (Medzhybizh) from around 1742. His teaching — prayer with joy, the presence of God in the everyday, and the spiritual dignity of simple Jews — offered an answer to a generation still scarred by the 1648–49 massacres and the Sabbatean collapse. ◈ Baal Shem Tov / Medzhybizh profiles — production sourcing pending (YIVO Encyclopedia)

Within two generations his movement became the dominant spirituality of eastern European Jewry. His grave at Medzhybizh remains a pilgrimage site.

NOTE: the dossier’s web source for this record was weak (a wiki summary flagged for replacement with the YIVO Encyclopedia at production); held at needs-review.