 It is most famous for the presence and establishment of the "royal court" of a very important and legendary Hasidic leader.Rabbi Israel Friedman (1796–1850) was the great-grandson of the Maggid of Mezritch, the chief disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism.Rabbi Friedman, commonly known – even today – as the "Heiliger ("Holy") Ruzhyner", established Ruzhyn as a place of pilgrimage to other seeking deeper spiritual understanding.