The Rabbi Who Vanished: Finding the Yabloner Rebbe with Pini Dunner

How does a visionary Hasidic leader simply… vanish?

In this episode of Jewish Insights, Justin Pines sits down with historical detective and scholar Rabbi Pini Dunner to uncover a decades-old mystery, a secret identity, and a journey home. 

Discover the unbelievable life of Yechezkel Taub (The Yabloner Rebbe)—a world-renowned leader who led hundreds of pioneers from pre-Holocaust Poland to found a village in pre-state Israel, only to vanish and reappear decades later as an 80-year old secular psychology student in Los Angeles.

He didn't just leave his village; he left his identity behind. For four decades, he lived anonymously in Southern California as George T. Nagel—a real estate developer and later a volunteer in a psychiatric facility.

The secret to his "hidden years" was buried in a forgotten manuscript titled "Paradise Cove"—until Rabbi Dunner spent twenty years hunting for the truth.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Visionary: The radical story of this unique "Hasidic Aliyah" and the founding of Kfar Hasidim.

• The Disappearance: Why a spiritual giant chose to walk away from his crown.

• The Manuscript: What a 1970s memoir about a Malibu psych ward reveals about a hidden Jewish soul.

• The Return: The emotional story of how the Rebbe returned to the land of Israel to face the community he left behind.

"Each person is an entire world." Join us for a conversation about identity, the weight of leadership, and the "Jewish spark" that can never truly be extinguished.

Get the Book: "Paradise Cove: They Escaped the Cuckoo’s Nest" by George T. Nagel (Edited by Rabbi Pini Dunner) - https://www.paradisecovebook.com/

About the Guest: Rabbi Pini Dunner is the Senior Rabbi of Beverly Hills Synagogue and a world-renowned expert on the "margins" of Jewish history. He is the author of Mavericks, Mystics & False Messiahs and the host of the hit series "Rogues, Rascals and Rapscallions."