Photo: Shturem.net

Picture of the Day: Satmar Rebbe’s Great-Grandson Puts on Tefilin

Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Roderman regularly mans a Tefilin stand in the Machane Yehudah marketplace in Jerusalem. On Friday, while chatting with an IDF soldier, he was surprised by the young man’s Hungarian-Chasidic accent.

During their conversation, it emerged that this soldier is non-other than Chaim Meizlish, a great-grandson of the previous Rebbe of Satmar, Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, OBM.

Chaim readily agreed to put on Tefilin, and a long and meaningful conversation ensued between him and Rabbi Roderman. After their talk, they exchanged phone numbers and pledged to remain in touch.

32 Comments

  • Thought

    I thought that he just became modern – and still puts on Teffillin himself daily, However seems that this is not the case. He put on Teffilin at the Chabad Teffillin Stand.

  • NICE

    What’s the bigger peleh? That the Satmer Rebbe’s grandchild is putting on tefillin at a stand in Jerusalem, or that he’s serving in the IDF?

  • In today age, does everything need to be publicized

    Do all parties to the picture agree for this to be public?,

    Question if this fellow that came to put on tefillin knew that the picture would go viral, maybe he would decide not to come to the tefilin stand?, will it prevent him(or anyone else in similar situation) from coming over to put on tefilin?.

    What’s next live פ”נ readings from the Ohel & announcing the names & content,

    have we ever heard of privacy?

  • What's worse for Satmar

    To have him enlisted in the IDF or to have him put on tefillin with a Lubavitcher on the street?

  • Tasteless!

    They inspired an OTD guy to do a mitzvah and exploited this vulnerable moment of inspiration for the sake of entertainment! Shame on you!!!

  • Seichel

    Where is your seichel?
    its very good that he has a teffilin stand and that all Jews are offered the opportunity to put on teffilin. You negate this trememdous mitzvah by embarrassing and humiliating his family publicly when you know full and well that they are not proud of his life choices. not least of which that he has to put on teffilin at the booth.

    Not cool. and you discourage such encounters in the future by publicizing them.

  • Hasi

    This is so ironic given that the most vociferous antizionist Jews in America are the Satmars of Brooklyn and Kyrias Joel.

  • AHAHA YES TO #6!!!

    HAHA SO TRUE!! What a great young guy. :)
    To #5, what are you talking about? That he isn’t hyper machmir, or that he’s risking his life to protect our country?

  • www

    is he ok with the picture being put on the internet? Maybe he just wanted this to be between him and the guy.

  • Israeli

    You idiots have no clue how much we value Americans who choose to serve to protect us. Nor do you understand how valuable & well trained they are. There are thousands of religious soldiers, women as well. Being moser nefesh & putting yourself at risk for other Jews is immeasurable. Lastly, how many of you have children/siblings/friends who chose a different path? Virtually every family has its “rebels.” I am only disappointed that he had not already put Tefillin on.

    Right now, instead of arguing and criticizing, try saying a Kapital Tehillim for the safety of Eretz Yisrael & its citizens. You “experts” aren’t here, so instead of getting involved in this shtuss, do something positive to help us.

  • Anonymous

    the fact that everything is public today is a disaster for sure
    but why make this incident into a negative
    it’s beautiful and I had much nachus from seeing this
    I am sure both our Rebbe and the Satmar Rebbe are both kvelling – so why look at this as a bad thing.

    The world is in terrible turmoil and it’s time to concentrate on the positive – picking out the negative from things is very easy… the chochma is to look for the good and positive .. this will bring more light into the world.

  • Proud parents of a former soldier

    BH . Chabad is proud of our sons who serve in the IDF. Esp in CA. In Flatbush, we got condolences.
    Now he is a hero. Satmar should be proud of this young man!

  • Stop the hate

    I guarantee that G-d was smiling when he did the mitzva of tefilin, and wasn’t thinking about chabad versus Satmar,

  • Dan

    Rabosai we in jewdaism believe in free choice. If some people go off the derech doesn’t mean the parents screwed up. And certainly not great grand parents. Stop being embarrassed by your kids. Work on them as any other kiruv Jew. Start even before they even want to go off the derech.

    Stop putting your kids in the closet. This is ridiculous.

  • Unemployed Noachide

    Someone performs a mitzvah and these are the responses? Yes, I’m educated enough about the issues being raised here, but most non-Jews aren’t. Could we maybe give a little thought to how these comments read to would-be Noachides? I know it’s not my place to say anything, and please don’t think I’m giving you mussar here, but comments like these make being a good PR guy for Klal Yisrael, Hasidism, and the Jewish State all the more difficult. Can we maybe just be happy that a Jew did a mitzvah and leave it at that?

  • chaim meisels

    if someone is wondering. I was on the way home from base and I want to him to ask to use the tefilin. And BTW I would like to say thanks for חב’ד for all the amazing things you guys do for the soldiers. we really appreciate.

  • satmer bucher

    i remember you in yeshivah, you put tefilin by yourself…?