Monday, October 25, 2004
Hasidic battle of brothers
It's marked by all the ugliness of a long-running family feud: court
cases, fractured relationships, struggles over money - plus
fistfights in a holy place.
The nasty battle for control of Williamsburg's central Satmar temple
has pitted brother against brother and divided the loyalties of tens
of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Hasidim in Brooklyn and upstate Orange
County.
"There's a great sense of sadness about this," said a prominent
Hasidic activist who is not aligned with either side.
The struggle centers on which son - Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum or his
younger brother Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum - will succeed their ailing
father, Grand Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum, as leader ofYetev Lev D'Satmar,
a 40,000-member congregation.
And it threatens the future of a community built by their great-uncle
Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, several sources said.
On Friday, a Brooklyn judge ruled that Zalman Teitelbaum can remain
chief rabbi of Williamsburg, leaving his older brother - once the
presumed heir - to head his own, smaller community in Kiryas Joel,
Orange County.
Ultimately, the last word on the successor will be left to the grand
rabbi, who is 91.
"If the community were capable of resolving it, this never would have
ended up in court," said Jeffrey Buss, an attorney for Aaron
Teitelbaum's faction.
The battle took an ugly turn this month on Simchat Torah, when
services for the Jewish festival at Yetev Lev were interrupted by a
rumble between the brothers' backers.
According to court testimony, supporters of Aaron Teitelbaum tried to
interrupt the service as Zalman Teitelbaum led a procession of Torah
scrolls into the synagogue.
"The dissidents, furious that they were being ignored, turned
violent, throwing people off the bleachers and overturning the steel
bleachers themselves," Sol Perlstein, the congregation's vice
president, said in sworn testimony. "They even upended a 2,000-pound
safe that they had dragged into the middle of the room."
The older brother's supporters contend they were merely there to
worship when they were provoked into a fight.
Three men from Zalman Teitelbaum's camp were charged with assault -
even as their leader continued dancing and singing amid the chaos.
Zalman Teitelbaum's supporters - who contend the intruders came
looking for a fight - called Friday's ruling by Brooklyn Supreme
Court Justice Melvin Barasch a clear victory.
But the decision does little for prospects of peace among the
politically connected and pious Satmar, who have vast real estate
holdings and run their own schools and social services.
The feud is playing out in rival newspapers established by the
brothers' supporters and in dueling social service groups. The grand
rabbi was even a no-show at the recent wedding of Aaron Teitelbaum's
son.
An appeal of the judge's decision appears likely.
Transplanted to Brooklyn from Europe just after World War II, Satmar
is among the largest of the Hasidic groups. According to the Jewish
Community Relations Council, more than 40,000 Satmar live in
Brooklyn, primarily in Williamsburg.
An additional 17,000 call Kiryas Joel home.
"With control comes power, with power comes money," said the activist
unattached to either side. "And with money, comes just about
everything."
It's marked by all the ugliness of a long-running family feud: court
cases, fractured relationships, struggles over money - plus
fistfights in a holy place.
The nasty battle for control of Williamsburg's central Satmar temple
has pitted brother against brother and divided the loyalties of tens
of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Hasidim in Brooklyn and upstate Orange
County.
"There's a great sense of sadness about this," said a prominent
Hasidic activist who is not aligned with either side.
The struggle centers on which son - Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum or his
younger brother Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum - will succeed their ailing
father, Grand Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum, as leader ofYetev Lev D'Satmar,
a 40,000-member congregation.
And it threatens the future of a community built by their great-uncle
Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, several sources said.
On Friday, a Brooklyn judge ruled that Zalman Teitelbaum can remain
chief rabbi of Williamsburg, leaving his older brother - once the
presumed heir - to head his own, smaller community in Kiryas Joel,
Orange County.
Ultimately, the last word on the successor will be left to the grand
rabbi, who is 91.
"If the community were capable of resolving it, this never would have
ended up in court," said Jeffrey Buss, an attorney for Aaron
Teitelbaum's faction.
The battle took an ugly turn this month on Simchat Torah, when
services for the Jewish festival at Yetev Lev were interrupted by a
rumble between the brothers' backers.
According to court testimony, supporters of Aaron Teitelbaum tried to
interrupt the service as Zalman Teitelbaum led a procession of Torah
scrolls into the synagogue.
"The dissidents, furious that they were being ignored, turned
violent, throwing people off the bleachers and overturning the steel
bleachers themselves," Sol Perlstein, the congregation's vice
president, said in sworn testimony. "They even upended a 2,000-pound
safe that they had dragged into the middle of the room."
The older brother's supporters contend they were merely there to
worship when they were provoked into a fight.
Three men from Zalman Teitelbaum's camp were charged with assault -
even as their leader continued dancing and singing amid the chaos.
Zalman Teitelbaum's supporters - who contend the intruders came
looking for a fight - called Friday's ruling by Brooklyn Supreme
Court Justice Melvin Barasch a clear victory.
But the decision does little for prospects of peace among the
politically connected and pious Satmar, who have vast real estate
holdings and run their own schools and social services.
The feud is playing out in rival newspapers established by the
brothers' supporters and in dueling social service groups. The grand
rabbi was even a no-show at the recent wedding of Aaron Teitelbaum's
son.
An appeal of the judge's decision appears likely.
Transplanted to Brooklyn from Europe just after World War II, Satmar
is among the largest of the Hasidic groups. According to the Jewish
Community Relations Council, more than 40,000 Satmar live in
Brooklyn, primarily in Williamsburg.
An additional 17,000 call Kiryas Joel home.
"With control comes power, with power comes money," said the activist
unattached to either side. "And with money, comes just about
everything."
Comments:
A peaceful solution to the conflict is suggested by a similar situation - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_Christian_Church
scroll down to
"Schism
Following Lekganyane's death in 1948, the church split into two congregations:
A minority of the congregation adopted the name Saint Engenas Zion Christian Church and continued at the original location under the leadership of Lekganyane's second son, Joseph; the church adopted a dove as its symbol.
The Zion Christian Church congregation built a new Zion City Moria a mile east of the original site and continued under the leadership of Lekganyane's eldest son, Edward. The ZCC adopted a star of David as its symbol."
See also Psalm 133
I am sure that the Rebbe would prefer a peaceful solution rather than an ongoing conflict
Post a Comment
scroll down to
"Schism
Following Lekganyane's death in 1948, the church split into two congregations:
A minority of the congregation adopted the name Saint Engenas Zion Christian Church and continued at the original location under the leadership of Lekganyane's second son, Joseph; the church adopted a dove as its symbol.
The Zion Christian Church congregation built a new Zion City Moria a mile east of the original site and continued under the leadership of Lekganyane's eldest son, Edward. The ZCC adopted a star of David as its symbol."
See also Psalm 133
I am sure that the Rebbe would prefer a peaceful solution rather than an ongoing conflict
Comment Credit ---This article posted by 
: April 25, 2006 2:31 PM
: April 25, 2006 2:31 PM
