@haskafah – Regarding mikveh: you are again suffering from what be best described as myopic orthodoxy. Rav Yisroel Meir HaKohein Poupko (better known as the Chofetz Chaim or the Mishnah Berurah, no chasidic Rebbe – never missed tevilas Ezra. Rav Elya Lopian, also no Rebbe, discussed feeling the entry of his neshamah yiseirah when he would go to the mikveh on Erev Shabbos. The Vilna Gaon, quoted in the Maaseh Rav, says regarding tevilas Ezra, that it is better to go on Motza’ai Shabbos than on Shabbos so as to avoid issues of sichitah, but go he did. He also wore a gartle. His Talmid, Rav Chaim Volishiner, wished to put on tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam as mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch (as do many Litvisheh Roshei Yeshiva (Rav Aharon, his son Rav Schneur, Rav Hutner, Rav Yaakov, Rav Moshe). This was not due to the influence of the chasidim, I assure you. If anything is true, movement AWAY from peyos, long coats, gartlich, beards, R”T tefillin, etc. was to distance themselves from them. That coupled with the older version of the shidduch crises prompted movement away from these things. This has all, B”H, changed and minhagim and tzuras haYihudi has returned to its former glory.
I am NOT arguing with your description of the pre and post WWII Litvisheh standard, only with your understanding of what the original minhag was.
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