The Ohel (burial structure) in Komarno, Ukraine, serves as the ground zero and spiritual heart of the Komarno Chassidic dynasty. Located in the historic Jewish cemetery on Lypya Street (opposite the town's Christian cemetery), this site holds the physical remains and towering legacies of the father-and-son duo who defined the movement's ultra-mystical, Kabbalistic approach to Judaism.

Understanding the Ohel requires looking at the two giants resting inside it and the miraculous history of the structure itself.

1. The Two Masters Inside the Ohel

Inside the reconstructed brick mausoleum lie the tziyunim (grave monuments) of the second and third generations of the Safrin dynasty:

Rebbe Yitzchak Eizik Safrin (1806–1874) – The Heichal HaBerachah

Rebbe Yitzchak Eizik is the primary architect of Komarno Chassidism. Orphaned at age 12, he initially lived a life of extreme poverty, working at times as a stonecutter and bookkeeper. In his hidden diary, Megillat Setarim, he detailed experiencing magnificent prophetic visions from early childhood.

• He famously believed that the spiritual exile of the Jewish people could only be alleviated by democratizing Kabbalah—making the secrets of the Zohar accessible to ordinary people.

• His grave is heavily visited by scholars and mystics who revere his magnum opus, Heichal HaBerachah (a massive Kabbalistic commentary on the Torah), and Shulchan HaTahor (halachic directives infused with Lurianic mystical intent).

Rebbe Eliezer Tzvi Safrin (1830–1898) – The Damesek Eliezer

Buried directly alongside his father, Rebbe Eliezer Tzvi was the successor who took his father’s deeply reclusive, elite philosophy and brought it to the masses. He was a deeply charismatic leader who drew massive crowds of followers eager to witness his fiery prayers and seek his help as a renowned miracle worker (Baal Mofet).

• He authored Damesek Eliezer (a foundational commentary on the Zohar) and Ohr Einayim.

• On his deathbed in 1898, his final words to his children were a desperate plea for unity: "I ask that there should be peace among you." He passed away exactly as the word "Peace" (BaShalom) left his lips. Because of this, his corner of the Ohel is a destination for people praying for family harmony and an end to conflicts.

2. History, Desecration, and Soviet Ruin

The ground upon which the Ohel stands has a devastating history. The Komarno Jewish cemetery was established around 1644, surviving centuries of regional conflict until World War II.

• The Holocaust: In July 1942, the Nazis brutally murdered approximately 1,800 Jews from Komarno, completely wiping out the community. The cemetery was heavily vandalized, and the original headstones (matzevot) were ripped out and used by the Nazis to pave local roads.

• The Soviet Era: In the 1950s, under Soviet rule, the cemetery was completely ruined, neglected, and eventually turned into a dense, heavily overgrown wilderness. For decades, the exact location of the Rebbes' graves was lost under layers of thick weeds, dirt, and wild trees.

3. The Miracle of Restoration

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the modern descendants of the Komarno dynasty, alongside international preservation organizations like Oholei Tzadikim and the Geder Avoyt Union, launched a massive effort to reclaim the site.

• Using historical maps and local testimonies, they cleared away decades of overgrowth and successfully located and verified the exact burial plots of Rebbe Yitzchak Eizik and Rebbe Eliezer Tzvi.

• They constructed the modern brick Ohel to shelter the graves from the elements and completely enclosed the cemetery perimeter with a secure metal fence. Fragments of historical tombstones that had been scattered or hidden in nearby villages have gradually been returned to the cemetery grounds behind the Ohel.

4. Pilgrimage Today

Today, the Komarno Ohel is a major destination for Hasidic tour groups and kabbalistic seekers traveling through Western Ukraine.

Because there are no longer any Jews living permanently in the town of Komarno, a local non-Jewish caretaker maintains the keys to the property. When pilgrims arrive—most notably on the Yahrzeit (death anniversary) of the Damesek Eliezer on the 24th of Iyar (typically falling in May)—the caretaker opens the heavy doors. Inside, visitors light candles, chant Psalms, and leave kvitelach (written prayer requests) on the side-by-side graves, requesting that the souls of these two great dynastic masters intercede for them in heaven.

For a deeper look into the spiritual framework of the masters resting in this Ohel, R' Yitzchak Eizik of Komarno and the Light of Human Experience provides an excellent breakdown of Rebbe Yitzchak Eizik's unique Chassidic psychology and teachings.