[YWN PHOTO LINK BELOW] On Monday Beis Sivan, Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel of Waterbury and the Waterbury Jewish Community welcomed The Satmar Rebbe, Horav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum shlit”a for a visit to Waterbury, Connecticut. The occasion of the visit was for the Rebbe to see and kasher the new Waterbury Community Mikvah. After the Rebbe poured wine into the mayan, he went to the Bais Medrash of Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel to conduct a tisch. The Rebbe was greeted in the Yeshiva by the entire community. The program opened with a beautiful singing from The Yeshiva Ktana of Waterbury Boys Choir, led by Reb Elisha Freedman and Rabbi Boruch Levine. The boys received shalom and coins from the Rebbe. The Rosh Hayeshivah, Rav Ahron Kaufman shlit”a then spoke about the tremendous zechus that Waterbury has to have the Rebbe visit, and about the amazing kochos of the mei Mikvah of Waterbury. He said that Waterbury and specifically the Yeshivah had experienced unusual hatzlocha and s’yata d’shmaya since it’s inception. Indeed, the name “Waterbury” in and of itself can be seen as a reference to the unique “deep waters” that are manifested in the Toras Chaim learned in The Waterbury Yeshivah, as well as the waters of its new Mikvah, which proved to be the source of a tremendous yeshuah. The Rosh Hayeshivah was referring to an amazing story, which is how the Satmar Rebbe became connected to the Waterbury community.

About a year and a half ago, Rav Chaim Kalman Klein of Monroe, a world-renowned expert on the halachos of mikvah, was working to bring the dream of a new mikvah in Waterbury to fruition. One day, he met Reb Yisroel Dov Goldberger, a prominent baal tzedakah who is a chassid of Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum of Satmar, and asked him if he would get involved in Waterbury’s mikvah. The next day, Reb Yisroel Dov approached Rav Klein and told him “Reb Chaim Kalman, since you spoke to me, I can’t get Waterbury out of my head! For some reason, I feel drawn to helping out this cause. What can I do?” Thus began a long relationship between Reb Yisroel Dov Golberger, the Mikvah of Waterbury and the Waterbury Kehillah. At the beginning of the project, Reb Yisroel Dov decided to dedicate his zechus in building the mikvah to a cause very dear to his heart. The Satmar Rebbe has a son who was childless for many years. Reb Yisroel Dov had a shtar drawn up, signed by Rav Kaufman, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres Shmuel of Waterbury, in which he was given “rights” to the zechus of this mikvah, and he in turned gave over those “rights” b’zchus the son of the Rebbe.

On the day that the foundation was poured, Reb Yisroel Dov was informed that b’sho’ah tovah umeztlachas the son and daughter-in-law of the Rebbe were expecting a simcha! Several months later, at the completion of the mikvah’s building, the Satmar Kehillah celebrated a Kiddush in honor of the birth of a granddaughter to the Rebbe! The waters of Waterbury’s mikvah had proved to be an incredible zechus. In the meantime, Reb Yisroel Dov purchased a home in Waterbury, and frequently joins the kehillah on shabbasos and during the week, often accompanied by children and einiklach. He was warmly welcomed by the yungerleit and families of the Waterbury Kehillah.

At the tisch of the Satmar Rebbe in Waterbury, the Rosh Yeshiva’s speech was followed by divrei torah and divrei brachoh from the Rebbe shlita. The rebbe then distributed shrayim and gave shalom to the rabbeyim and talmidim of the Yeshiva and members of the kehillah. At the conclusion of the program, the Rebbe shlita presented the Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Kaufman shlita with a beautiful and meaningful gift: A bekeshe traditionally worn by the chasiddishe kehillah. Reb Yisroel Dov’s son noted that his father always felt that although Rav Kaufman dressed like a litvishe yid, his heart and his fire for yiddishkeit was reminiscent of a chassid.

Beis Sivan 5769 will be remembered as a day of special simcha in the history of the growing and thriving Jewish Community of Waterbury. The committee of The Waterbury Community Mikvah would like to inform the public that limited opportunities are still available for sponsorship in the Mikvah. This mikvah is known to be one of the most mehudar mikvaos l’halachah. May the yeshuos that helped those who already contributed to this worthy cause, help those that come forward at this final, critical juncture who contribute their hishtadlus to be mekayem the passuk “Hashleim Zeh Habinyan”!

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(Zevy Pupker – YWN)