Editing Satmar (section)

==History==
[[File:SatmarRebbe36.jpg|right|thumb|225px|[[Joel Teitelbaum]] bowing before [[King Carol II of Romania]], 1936]]

===Transylvania===
[[Chananya Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum]] was the Grand Rebbe of the [[Siget (Hasidic dynasty)|Sighet Hasidic dynasty]]. He died in 1904, and was succeeded by his oldest son, [[Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum]].

A few Sighet Hasidim preferred his second son, [[Joel Teitelbaum|Joel]], as their leader. Joel Teitelbaum left the town of [[Sighetu Marmației|Máramarossziget]], and, on 8 September 1905, he settled in Szatmárnémeti (in Yiddish: Satmar). His Sighet supporters followed him, and he began to attract a following. Hungarian journalist Dezső Schön, who researched the Teitelbaum rabbis in the 1930s, wrote that Teitelbaum started referring to himself as the "Rebbe of Satmar" at that time.<ref name="schon" /><ref name="rubin" />

Teitelbaum's power base grew with the years. In 1911, he received his first rabbinical post as chief rabbi of [[Irshava|Ilosva]]. In 1921, the northeastern regions of Hungary were ceded to [[Czechoslovakia]] and [[Romania]], under the terms of the [[Treaty of Trianon]]. This area was densely populated with a segment of [[Orthodox Jewry]] known as [[Unterlander Jews]]. Many Sziget Hasidim, unable to regularly visit Chaim Tzvi's court, turned to Joel Teitelbaum instead.<ref name="kohen" />

In 1925, Teitelbaum was appointed chief rabbi of [[Carei]] (Nagykároly). On 21 January 1926, Chaim Tzvi died unexpectedly, leaving his twelve-year-old son [[Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum (II)|Yekusiel Yehuda]] to succeed him. Their mother emphasized Joel as successor, her grandson being too young for the position, and Joel returned to Sziget. However, Chaim Tzvi's followers would only accept Joel as a trustee-leader until Yekusiel became old enough. Although Teitelbaum was highly regarded, he was not well-liked there. Under these conditions, Teitelbaum would have become the dynasty's head in all but name,<ref name="shyarts" /> which was nevertheless unacceptable for him and his mother, and they left Sziget again. In 1928, Teitelbaum was elected as chief rabbi of Szatmárnémeti itself. The appointment resulted in bitter strife within the Jewish community, and he only accepted the post in 1934.<ref name="schon" />{{rp|320}}

Teitelbaum rose to become a prominent figure in [[strictly Orthodox]] circles, leading an uncompromisingly conservative line against modernization. Among other issues, he was a fierce opponent of [[Zionism]] and [[World Agudath Israel|Agudath Israel]].

The Jewish population of Hungary was spared wholesale destruction by the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] until 1944. On 19 March 1944, the German Army occupied the country, and deportations to the concentration camps ensued. Teitelbaum sought to re-assure the frightened people who, for the most part, weren't able to leave Hungary, saying that by the merit of their religiosity, they would be saved. When the Germans invaded, he was saved by his devoted followers, who paid a huge ransom to have him included in the passenger list of the [[Kastner train]]. Teitelbaum reached Switzerland on the night of 7–8 December 1944, and soon immigrated to [[Mandatory Palestine]]. Many of Satmar's Jews were murdered by the Nazis.<ref name="YIVO">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Satu_Mare|title=Satu Mare|author=Tamás Csíki |encyclopedia=The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe}}</ref>

===In America===
A year after his daughter's death in Jerusalem,<ref name=myers/> Teitelbaum chose to move to the United States, arriving in New York aboard the [[MS Vulcania|''MS'' ''Vulcania'']] on 26 September 1946.<ref name=ancestry/>

Teitelbaum settled in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]], along with a small group of followers, and set out to re-establish his sect, which had been destroyed in [[the Holocaust]]. His arrival in America allowed him to fully implement his views: The [[Separation of church and state in the United States|separation of religion and state]] enabled the Satmar dynasty, as well as numerous other Jewish groups, to establish independent communities, unlike the state-regulated structures in Central Europe.<ref name=mintz/>{{rp|30}} In April 1948, his adherents founded "Congregation Yetev Lev", which was registered as a [[religious corporation]].<ref name=rubin/>{{rp|47}} Teitelbaum appointed Leopold Friedman (1904–1972), a former bank director, as the congregation's president, while he was declared supreme spiritual authority. After Friedman's death, he was replaced by Leopold (Leibish) Lefkowitz (1920–1998).<ref name=mintz/> Teitelbaum's policy was to maintain complete independence by refusing to affiliate with, or receive financial aid from, any other Jewish group;<ref name=kranzler/> his Hasidim established a network of businesses that provided an economic base for the community's own social institutions.<ref name=mintz/>{{rp|32–34}}

The Satmar group grew rapidly, attracting many new followers. A 1961 survey established that its Williamsburg community included 4,500 people. From the 860 household heads, about 40 percent had been neither Satmar nor Sighet Hasidim in the pre-war years.<ref name=rubin/>{{rp|47, 262}} In 1968, Satmar was already New York's largest Hasidic group, with 1,300 households in the city. In addition, there are many Satmar Hasidim in other parts of the United States, and worldwide.<ref name=mintz2/>

As part of his vision of complete isolation from the outside world, Teitelbaum encouraged his followers to make [[Yiddish]] their primary language, though many had previously used [[German language|German]] or [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], being immigrants from former [[Kingdom of Hungary|Greater Hungary]]. The sect has its own Yiddish-oriented education system and several publishing houses which provide extensive reading material. Teitelbaum's work in this matter made him, according to Bruce Mitchell, the "most influential figure" in the maintenance of the language in the post-war period.<ref name="mitchell" /> The uniformity of Satmar in America made it easier to teach young people the language, unlike in Europe: George Kranzler noted that by 1961 the children spoke Yiddish much better than their parents.<ref name="kranzler2" />

On 23 February 1968, Teitelbaum suffered a stroke, which left him barely able to function. His second wife, Alte Feiga, administered the sect for the remainder of Teitelbaum's life, with the assistance of several Satmar functionaries.<ref name=mintz2/>{{rp|85}}

In 1974, the sect began constructing the housing project [[Kiryas Joel, New York|Kiryas Joel]] in [[Monroe, New York]], for its members. It was accorded an independent municipal status in 1977.<ref name=mintz2/>{{rp|207}} On August 19, 1979, Teitelbaum died of a heart attack.

===Succession===
[[File:Rebbezalmanteitelbaum.JPG|right|thumb|130px|[[Zalman Leib Teitelbaum|Zalman Teitelbaum]], 2007]]
Teitelbaum was not survived by any children – all three of his daughters died in his lifetime. After prolonged vacillations by the community board, his nephew [[Moshe Teitelbaum (Satmar)|Moshe]], Chaim Tzvi's second son, was appointed as successor, despite Alte Feiga's severe objections. Moshe Teitelbaum was proclaimed [[Rebbe]] on 8 August 1980, the first anniversary of his uncle's death according to the [[Hebrew calendar]].<ref name=mintz2/>{{rp|126–128}} The great majority of Hasidim accepted the new leader, though a small fraction called [[Bnei Yoel]], which was unofficially led by Feiga, opposed him. The tense relations between both led to several violent incidents in the 1980s.<ref name=kranzler2/>{{rp|229}}

In 1984, Moshe Teitelbaum appointed his oldest son, [[Aaron Teitelbaum|Aaron]], as chief rabbi of Kiryas Joel. Both incurred opposition from elements within the sect. They were blamed for exercising a centralized leadership style, and for lack of sufficient zealotry.<ref name="mintz2" />{{rp|209–211}}

Until the late 1990s, Moshe Teitelbaum's heir apparent was his oldest son, Aaron. In 1999, his third son, [[Zalman Leib Teitelbaum|Zalman]], was recalled from his post as Satmar chief rabbi in Jerusalem and received the parallel post in the sect's largest enclave, Williamsburg. He was later proclaimed successor, and a struggle between the two brothers ensued. Aaron resided in Kiryas Joel, where he was considered the local authority, while Zalman held sway in Williamsburg.<ref name=forward/>

=== Schism ===
Following Moshe Teitelbaum's death in 2006, both groups of followers announced that their candidate was named successor in his will, and they were both declared Rebbes. Zalman and Aaron engaged in prolonged judicial disputes as to who should control the Congregation's assets in Brooklyn. The sect has effectively split into two independent ones.

At the time of Moshe Teitelbaum's death, sources within the sect estimated it had 119,000 members worldwide, making it the world's largest Hasidic group.<ref name="A">Michael Powell. ''[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/25/AR2006042502027.html Succession Unclear After Grand Rebbe's Death]''. [[Washington Post]], 26 April 2006.</ref> A similar figure of 120,000 was cited by sociologist [[Samuel Heilman]].<ref name=latimes/> However, anthropologist Jacques Gutwirth estimated in 2004 that Satmar numbered about 50,000.<ref name=gutwirth/> As of 2006, the dynasty controlled assets worth $1 billion in the United States.<ref name="A"/>

The two largest Satmar communities are in Williamsburg and Kiryas Joel. There are also significant Satmar communities in [[Borough Park, Brooklyn]], and in [[Monsey, New York|Monsey]] and [[Bloomingburg, New York]]. Smaller concentrations can be found elsewhere. In North America, there are institutions in Los Angeles; [[Lakewood, New Jersey]]; and Montreal. Elsewhere, cities such as [[Antwerp]], London, and [[Manchester]]; and in Argentina and Australia have Satmar groups, and there are many spread throughout Israel. Aaron Teitelbaum has stated that he wants to establish a community in Romania too.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.salutsighet.ro/video/?print=print|title=Sighet – Marele rabin Aron Teitelbaum a venit special din Brooklyn, pentru a pune bazele unei băi rituale &#91;VIDEO&#93; - Salut Sighet}}</ref> There is a small community of Satmar ''[[Gerim (Jewish religious category)|gerim]]'' (converts) living in [[Guatemala]], having rejected the [[Lev Tahor]] cult which initially converted the group before being expelled from the country. The community of about 40 families has the full backing of the Satmar community in Williamsburg.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ackerman |first=Eliyahu |date=October 5, 2021 |title=Gut Shabbos, Guatemala |url=https://mishpacha.com/gut-shabbos-guatemala/ |magazine=[[Mishpacha]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=February 20, 2025}}</ref>

In addition to the Grand Rabbis' two main congregations, [[Chaim Yehoshua Halberstam]], chief rabbi of the Satmar community in Monsey, became its local leader. Unlike the two brothers, Halberstam does not lay claim to the entire sect, though he conducts himself in the manner of a Hasidic Rebbe, accepting ''[[kvitel]]'' and holding ''[[Tish (Hasidic celebration)|tish]]''. Another son, Lipa Teitelbaum, established his own congregation and calls himself Zenter Rav, in homage to the town of [[Senta|Senta, Serbia]], where his father served as rabbi before World War II.