scion Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum, slain in the terrorist attacks
in Mumbai.
In places like Brooklyn and Jerusalem, where the ultra-Orthodox population is large and diverse, members of the Chabad and Satmar communities — two of the largest and most prominent ultra-Orthodox groups — have kept their distance and at times have even fought openly.
In Terror, Satmar and Chabad Rabbis United
scion Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum, slain in the terrorist attacks
in Mumbai.
While most of the media attention in the wake of the attack on the Chabad-run Nariman House in Mumbai has focused on slain Lubavitch emissaries Gavriel and Rachel Holtzberg, less noted was the death of a third Hasidic Jew in the assault, Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum, a member of the Satmar sect. What makes Teitelbaum’s death particularly striking is that, though he and the Holtzbergs all came from Brooklyn, only in a city like Mumbai would they have eaten and prayed together in the same house.
In places like Brooklyn and Jerusalem, where the ultra-Orthodox population is large and diverse, members of the Chabad and Satmar communities — two of the largest and most prominent ultra-Orthodox groups — have kept their distance and at times have even fought openly.
While Chabad believes in extensive engagement with the non-Jewish world, Satmar rejects almost all such engagement, and while the Chabad movement is ardently Zionist, Satmar is a non-Zionist movement.
But in far-flung places with tiny Jewish populations, Chabad, which has outposts around the globe, is often the only outlet for kosher food and prayer services. Even though Chabad is best known for its outreach to non-Orthodox Jews, the tragedy in Mumbai illuminates the role that Chabad has played as a haven for fellow ultra-Orthodox travelers.
One of the most frequent obstacles to mixing between ultra-Orthodox sects is that they do not always accept each other’s kashrut certifications and thus cannot sit down to a meal together. It is especially telling that Teitelbaum, who was a kashrut supervisor and was in India overseeing canned mushroom production, was willing to take his meals there, according to Satmar community members who spoke to his family after his death.
“They made sure not only to have Chabad shchita [certification for kosher meat] but to have other shchita as well, so that others could be accommodated,” said Leib Glanz, a rabbi and community leader in one of Brooklyn’s Satmar enclaves, who had spoken with Teitelbaum’s father.
Teitelbaum was no ordinary member of the ultra-Orthodox Satmar sect. He was a scion of one of the group’s most prominent families.
The 38-year-old Teitelbaum was closely related by both blood and marriage to Zalman and Aaron Teitelbaum, the feuding brothers who serve as the chief rabbis of the two largest Satmar communities in the United States.
Teitelbaum’s father, Nacham Ephraim Teitelbaum, is the Velover rebbe, a title of distinction passed down through the generations. The father has the final say over what food qualifies for the Velover hechsher, a stamp of approval accepted by many of the strictest adherents to Jewish dietary law in the Satmar and other ultra-Orthodox sects.
“It’s one of the most powerful hekhshers in the Jewish community,” said Abe Deutsch, a leading member of the Satmar enclave in Williamsburg.
The younger Teitelbaum grew up in Brooklyn and moved to Jerusalem as an adult, where he married into one of Israel’s leading Satmar families. After the attacks last week, Teitelbaum’s body, like those of the Chabad couple, was flown back to Israel, but there they were separated again. While the Holtzbergs were buried in a public funeral, their coffins draped in Israeli flags, Teitelbaum was buried in a separate private ceremony in which Zionist iconography was banned.
bracha
a, chabad is not zionist. we are pro eretz yisroel.
b. it would seem like a lovely article, only it is so negetive about the two, it comes out so awful.
Anonymous
Chabad is not ardently Zionist. In fact we are against Zionism.
Anon
Chabad is not ardently zionist!
ACHDUS
Did’t Rabbi Holtzburg Z“L Shecht the chickens himself? What does the article mean they had ”other Shchieta”?
The other 3 Kidoshim were also from very diverse backgrounds which come together only in a chabad house. May we have diverse parties come together only by simchos.
koolchossid
while the Chabad movement is ardently Zionist, Satmar is a non-Zionist movement’
LOL
Moishie
Maybe the correct heading for this article should have been:
“In Terror, Satmar and Chabad Rabbis United (almost)”
“While the Holtzbergs were buried in a public funeral, their coffins draped in Israeli flags, Teitelbaum was buried in a separate private ceremony in which Zionist iconography was banned.”
btw
btw its RIVKA Holtzberg and not Rachel…
Dovid Mendel Marozov
1) chabad is anty Zionist.
2) Holtzbergs coffins were not draped in Israeli flags
???
and the name is Rivkah!
yossi
since when is chabad ardently zionist? the rebbe never said anything about shleimus hamidina. he spoke about shleimus haaretz, there is a big difference. to say that chabad is any more zionist then satmar means that you dont really understand what a zionist is. chabad is not activley against the state of israel like satmar, that does not mean chabad is pro government, which is what the zionist movment is all about. when the rebbe said dont give back an inch do you think the rebbe ment to go vote on it and let the people(poloticians) deccide? NO, the rebbe stated clearly that it is a clear violation of halacha (hilchos shabbas. siman, shin chaf tes. seif, vav) when the rebbe faught for “me who yehudi” was he fighting as a zionist that it should be up for discussion in knesset? the rebbe, chabad not zionist.
who wrote this article b/c there is no written author
yossi
It is now to time to recognize our oneness as well as accepting each of our own distinctiveness and do it in unity and in unity welcome Moshiach…as ONE people! The terrorists get one thing…that we are all Jews and are all the same in the eyes of Hashem…only our actions differentiate us!!
Lubavitcher
We are not Satmer, but we are not Zionist either. The author of this piece should be contacted and the issue clarified. We are not Zionist at all. We support Jews, and once in our hands we do not support giving land away. But again, we are NOT Zionists.
disappointed
Im aorry, Did Webby write this article? whats it source? its not exactly accurate?!?!?!
“While Chabad believes in extensive engagement with the non-Jewish world, Satmar rejects almost all such engagement, and while the Chabad movement is ardently Zionist, Satmar is a non-Zionist movement.”
Chabad is not Zionist. Whilst we accept all Jews lovingly as Jews, and support those living in Eretz Yisroel as Jews, the ideology of Zionism is not our ideology! And we do not encourage extensive engagement with the non-Jewish world – where appropriate or necessary for our mission, we might, but not as a principle!Maybe it meant to say the idea of Chabad conducting extensive outreach with Non-Affiliated Jews!?
After the attacks last week, Teitelbaum’s body, like those of the Chabad couple, was flown back to Israel, but there they were separated again. While the Holtzbergs were buried in a public funeral, their coffins draped in Israeli flags, Teitelbaum was buried in a separate private ceremony in which Zionist iconography was banned.“”
I dont think the flag was put on the Holzbergs out of choice – it was bc they are Israeli citizens and were being flown into Israel as Citizens of the country, whereas Teitelbaum was not!
Get the facts straight! Dont post articles with no purpose, reason and misconstrued information.
THere is no need to point out the differences betweent us, when this incident has actually come to UNITE us and allowed us to put our differences aside in mourning. Don’t reverse the (unfortunate) positivity that has come from this tragedy!!!
Achdus is what we need to continue working on!
annie
Isn’t it ironic that it takes a far-away place to bring Jews together? What will it take to cement this bond amongst all Jewish factions regardless of ideology and practices?How beautiful could it be when feuds end and we embrace one another UNCONDITIONALLY?
Chossid
In New York someone should arrange a kinnus with Satmer Lubavitch and Bobov and Invite R Aron Tetelbaum, The Bobover Rebbe and R Moshe Landau for Lubavitch. That would be amazing
Sholom
chabad is NOT i repeat NOT ardently zionist and mrs.holtzbergs name was RIVKAH NOT ROCHEL!!!AND TO BE so STRONGLY against israel is wierd i think.i mean, the holtzbergs and rosenfelds arent zionist and they had their children buried in israeli flags i saw it live by the funeral
correction
ahem, teitelbaum had a funeral the same size if not bigger then the holtzbergs. they closed down meah shearim it was not a private funeral at all, he had the top rabonim at his funeral weiss, elyashiv. i dont know where she the author gets her information.
Shmully Litvin
Although I am not sure why I am commenting on this article that came from a newspaper on this blog after all the esteemed comments, but here goes.
Obviously, Chabad is not Zionist. To my knowledge the picture with 6 Kodshim arriving from India on the Air Force jet had all the bodies HY”D wrapped in Israeli Flags. Yes, the Holtzbergs were buried in Talisim.
So, now that is cleared up, you have a whole day to bring Moshiach. Case in point – below is the contact info for the newspaper. Contact them, and in a way that PROMOTES achdus, inform them of the corrections needed.
Forward Newspaper Contact Info:
45 East 33rd Street, New York City 10016
Telephone (212) 889-8200
Fax. (212) 447-6406 editorial
(212) 689-4255 advertising
boruch n. hoffinger
B”H
One of my sons who was learning in Kollel Lubavitch heard from Rabbi Heller that the original reason for not eating Satmar hecksher was nullified. I suppose the original rabbis who wouldn’t appologize (During Rav Dworkins’s time. He made the ‘gezera’ against eating their hecksher. It was ‘halachic’ not only political.)
Originally, Satmar had one of the finest heckshers that there were. Lubavitch ate their approved foods.
So, it seems, that it’s probably OK (pardon pun) to eat their supervised foods.
The Rebbe-s Guest
Guys, the point is not that Satmar chassidim are together with Lubavichers. It is the Jews who perished who were together under the same roof. They werent merely at the same place at the same time. They were in our chabad house and were our royal Guests. It was THEN that Satmar Jew Mexican Jew Lubavich Jew Isreai Jew were united in the same Chabad House. And that was when they were taken from us. The unity began at the Holtzbergs.
If it were these guests who were first to display true achdus, than we should not consider the yidden who were killed as merely “the other” Kedoishim. We should remember Reb Leibish Teitleboum as “the Rebbe’s Guests”. one comment mentions this somewhere at a nother thread but the point must be emphasized.
Henny Chanina
To The Rebbe-s Guest:
What a beautiful well written point! So true! You brought out a deep view that gives us all another angle and idea to ponder on. Thank you!
Chabad
If Zionism is defined to support the existence of the Jewish State. Then Yes chabad are Zionists. However, if zionism is defined to support a secular and nonobservance in the stater than Chabad is not zionist. Chabad supports a strong Israel, that does not give land to Arab murderers. Thus under these beliefs I would consider chabad to be zionists.