Rabbi Teitelbaum, Spiritual Leader Of Satmar Chasidim, Dies at 91

Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum, who died yesterday at 91, was the worldwide spiritual leader of the Satmar Chasidim, the fervently Orthodox Jewish sect with large congregations in Williamsburg and Kiryas Joel, in Orange County.Teitelbaum, who had served as grand rabbi, or rebbe, since 1980, died at Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was being treated for cancer.Teitelbaum’s death leaves his community split over succession between two of his sons, Aaron and Zalmen, who have conducted a public and occasionally violent feud in recent years. The rebbe put Zalmen in charge of the Williamsburg congregation and Aaron at Kiryas Joel. Although in failing health in recent years, he never expressed a definitive opinion about which of his sons should succeed him. In 2004, a Brooklyn judge refused to rule in the dispute.Teitelbaum was born in Siget, in what is today Romania, where his father, Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum, was the village’s grand rabbi. During World War II, Teitelbaum was interned in Auschwitz, where he lost his first wife and three children. He returned to Siget, where he became grand rabbi, succeeding his brother, who perished in the war. Fleeing communist persecution, Teitelbaum came to America and established a synagogue, Atzei Chaim Siget, located on Hewes Street in Williamsburg.The Satmar community was at that time under the leadership of his uncle, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, who died childless in 1979 at 93. Moses Teitelbaum was confirmed as the new Satmar rebbe the following year.As rebbe, Teitelbaum was outspoken in affirming the Satmar interpretation of the Torah, that no Jewish state should exist until the coming of the Messiah. He took this view so far that, during a well-publicized visit to Israel in 1994, he refused to fly El Al, the national carrier, or visit the Western Wall, since it had been liberated by Zionist soldiers. A crowd of 100,000 paraded with him through Jerusalem, although only 500 Satmar families actually live in Israel.A funeral was slated for last night in Williamsburg, to be followed shortly thereafter by a second service at Kiryas Joel, where the rebbe is to be buried alongside his uncle, a spokesman for the Satmar community said.Teitelbaum is survived by four sons, two daughters, and dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His first great-great grandchild, a girl, was born on the morning of his death, the spokesman said.

Rabbi Teitelbaum, Spiritual Leader Of Satmar Chasidim, Dies at 91

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