In a rare and heartwarming moment that stirred excitement across the Satmar community, two grandsons of the late Satmar Rebbe, HaRav Moshe Teitelbaum zt”l, were seen shaking hands at a simcha this past week. HaRav Menachem Mendel Teitelbaum, son of HaRav Aharon Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Yoel, and HaRav Yaakov Ber Teitelbaum, son of HaRav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg, greeted each other warmly at the bar mitzvah of the son of R’ Chezky Berkowitz, a prominent and respected figure in the Satmar kehillah.
The encounter, captured by attendees and quickly shared across frum circles, marked a significant moment given the well-known divide between the two branches of Satmar leadership. The Kiryas Yoel and Williamsburg factions, led by HaRav Aharon and HaRav Zalman Leib respectively, have historically followed distinct paths since the passing of their father, HaRav Moshe Teitelbaum, in 2006. Public interactions between the two sides have been exceedingly rare, making this handshake a symbol of unity, even if fleeting, for many in the community.
In 2020 YWN previously reported on a historic phone call between HaRav Aharon and HaRav Zalman Leib themselves, which took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. That call, lasting just one minute, occurred as their brother, the Zenta Rov, lay on a respirator in critical condition. The brief conversation, a rare moment of direct communication between the two Rebbes in the past two decades, was recorded and shared widely, offering a glimpse of familial connection amid a time of crisis.
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15 Responses
BS”D
The apostrophe does not belong in Rebbe’s.
We are supposed to be impressed by this? What happened to a rebbe being a model of ahavas Chinam?
There’s a famous line once said by a famous Rosh Hayeshiva that I think can be applied here… “how sad that this is a good story!”
In zchus of this,Hashem saved the people from the falling tree, maybe
Bobov emulating a reunion? Maybe both Rebbes delivering שלח-מנות to each-other?
Wow. People who are cousins actually acting human with each other. Amazing. Moshiach must be around the corner.
It can’t be both rare and heartwarming. If it is so rare, its sincerity is questionable, etgkk ok not very heartwarming. It is more grasping at straws than anything else.
I cannot feel “spiritually connected” (as it were) to leaders who can’t lead in אהבת ישראל and שלום, so thank G-d I am not a Satmar chosid…
What’s the big deal?
A few years at some event the Rebbes were sitting a few seats from each other. One was pouring wine to give out & he motioned to give one to his brother.
Wow, so much לשון הרע on chassidisher rebbes
If things change it’s because it got worse
The two Rebbes can learn a lesson from a seriously wounded Israeli soldier.
“I left three things in Gaza.
My right leg, my left leg and my sinas chinom!”
Next think you know, and Rabbi Herschel Schachter will be shaking hands with his former YU & RCA colleague Rabbi Avi Weiss.
I don’t think the police were called to separate the followers of those two “Modern Orthodox ” rabbis .
You’re mixing apples and oranges.
איזה צחוקים
Hopefully this is a step towards ending the disgrace that is the current state of Satmar chassidus.
These two are in constant contact.. They are working together on many projects…