Wikipedia
The Aleksander (Alt. Alexander, Hebrew script: אלכסנדר ) hasidic movement flourished in Poland from 1880 until it was largely destroyed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The sect is named after the town of its origin, Aleksandrow Lodzki, Poland, (about forty five kilometers from Łódź), which was called Aleksander in Yiddish.
Prior to the Holocaust, Aleksander Hasidism were the second largest hasidic group in Poland - second in size only to Ger. They attracted artisans, merchants and water carriers rather than elite Talmudic scholars and richer people who were attracted to Ger. Like the rest of Polish Jewry, almost all of Aleksander hasidim were killed in the Holocaust.
The philosophy of Aleksander is drawn from the rebbes, Israel Yitzhak Kalish of Vurke and Simcha Bunim of Peshischa. Peshischa stressed "truth" (Emmes) and P'nimius in one's service of the Creator. Vurke taught Ahavas Yisroel and Anava (humility) before God and one's fellow. The rebbes of Aleksander took these teachings and formed their own unique emphasis on the service of God and a persons relationship with their fellows. The core philosophy of Aleksander can be extracted from the book Yismach Yisroel (1911).
Between the world wars, Hasidic Jews from all over flocked to the small village of Aleksander to spend the holiest days of the Jewish year in the presence of their spiritual leader, their rebbe, Rabbi Yitzchak Menachem Dancyger (1879–1943). The Rebbe of Aleksander attempted to remain neutral in political issues while emphasizing communal prayer and the study of Torah. He was murdered by the Germans in the Treblinka extermination camp.
Today, Aleksander has emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust and continues in growing numbers in small communities in America, Europe and Israel.