Moshe (Moses) Teitelbaum (

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

: משה טײטלבױם; November 1, 1914 – April 24, 2006) was a

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...

and the world leader of the

Satmar Hasidim Satmar (Yiddish: סאַטמאַר, Hebrew: סאטמר) is a Hasidic group founded in 1905 by Grand Rebbe Joel Teitelbaum, in the city of Szatmárnémeti, Hungary (now Satu Mare in Romania). The group is an offshoot of the Sighet Hasidic dynasty ...

Early life

Moshe Teitelbaum was born on November 17, 1914, in

Újfehértó Újfehértó (Yiddish, german: Ratzfert) is a small town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. History By 1920, the Jewish population had reached 1,303 people, 11% of the total population. On 17 ...

, Hungary. He was the second son of Rabbi

Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum (December 28, 1879 – January 21, 1926) (''6 shevat 5686'' on the Hebrew calendar), the Sigheter Rebbe, author of ''Atzei Chaim'', was the oldest son of Rabbi Chananya Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum, the ''Kedushas Yom Tov' ...

, author of ''Atzei Chaim'', the previous Sigheter Rebbe. His mother, Bracha Sima, hailed from the prominent Halbershtam family. Moshe and his older brother, Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, were orphaned in 1926, when they were eleven and fourteen, respectively. Moshe was raised by family friends and relatives, including his uncle,

Joel Teitelbaum Joel Teitelbaum ( yi, יואל טייטלבוים, translit=Yoyl Teytlboym, ; 13 January 1887 – 19 August 1979) was the founder and first Grand Rebbe of the Satmar dynasty. A major figure in the post-war renaissance of Hasidism, he espoused a ...

, and his grandfather, Rabbi Shulem Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzfert.פתגמין קדישין תכ"ג Teitelbaum received rabbinical Ordination, and was appointed dean of the Karacscka yeshiva. In 1936, Teitelbaum married Leah Meir, daughter of Rabbi Hanoch Heinoch Meir of Karecska. In 1939, he became the rabbi of

Senta Senta ( sr-cyrl, Сента, ; Hungarian: ''Zenta'', ; Romanian: ''Zenta'') is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the bank of the Tisa river in the ge ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

(now

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

). In late spring 1944, the Hungarian government, assisted by Nazi forces led by

Adolf Eichmann Otto Adolf Eichmann ( ,"Eichmann"
''

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

, where his wife and three children were murdered, and he nearly died. Teitelbaum was then transferred to the

Brabag Brabag (Braunkohle Benzin AG) was a German firm, planned in 1933 and operating from 1934 until 1945, that distilled synthetic aviation fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline, lubricants, and paraffin wax from lignite. It was an industrial cartel firm closely ...

plant in

Tröglitz Elsteraue is a municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated near the White Elster river, about southwest of Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Sa ...

, and afterwards to

Theresienstadt Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the Schutzstaffel, SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstad ...

, where he was liberated in 1945.

Post-war

In 1946, Teitelbaum married Pessel Leah, the daughter of Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum of Volovo. Pessel Leah's entire family was killed in the

. The couple initially moved back to Senta, where Teitelbaum led a congregation before the war. When he found out that his brother Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum had been murdered in the Holocaust, he decided to fill his brother's position as rabbi of Sighet. Soon thereafter, they were forced to flee Communist persecution, leaving for

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

and then setting sail for

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where they arrived in fall 1947. There, Teitelbaum became known as the Sigheter Rebbe, leading Sighet Chassidus, previously led by his ancestors. He initially established a

beth midrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth kness ...

, ''Atzei Chaim Siget'', in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a Neighborhoods in Brooklyn, neighborhood in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant to the s ...

, and later moved to

Borough Park, Brooklyn Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heights to the southwest, Sunset Park to the west, ...

, in 1966.

Appointment to Satmar Rebbe

In 1979, Moshe's uncle Joel died, without an heir to inherit leadership of Satmar. The most logical successor was his nephew Moshe, then at the age of sixty-six. He was considered intelligent, a scholar, and a good speaker. There was some uneasiness about appointing Moshe, because in the years prior, he had limited contact with Satmar, led his own Hasidic group, and did not necessarily have the same absolutist outlook, level of scholarship, or intense piety, as his late uncle. Nevertheless, it was understood that the community was better off with a leader, and having Moshe as the Rebbe was the best for the community under the given circumstances. The Satmar Council of Elders was a thirteen-member lay-person body elected by Satmar Hasidim. The Council unanimously decided on Moshe as their next Rebbe. Moshe could have turned down the appointment and remained as leader of his small Sighet sect, but leadership of Satmar promised far more power and prestige. The Council and Moshe then negotiated and planned the details on Moshe's official appointment. A few weeks later, on one day's notice, a general meeting in the main Rodney Street synagogue was announced. At the meeting, in which Moshe was not present, Sender Deutsch, leader of the Council, announced the appointment of Moshe as the new rebbe of Satmar. Moshe refused to be accepted as the new rebbe within the first year of Joel's death. This was done as a sign of bereavement over his uncle, who helped raise him when his father died, and to allow the Satmar community to mourn and adjust to the transition. Moshe continued to live in Borough Park and lead his Sighet community. Around August 1980, Moshe formally succeeded Joel as the Satmar Rebbe in an elaborate "crowning" in

Kiryas Joel, New York Kiryas Joel ( yi, קרית יואל, Kiryas Yoyel, ; often locally abbreviated as KJ) is a village coterminous with the Town of Palm Tree in Orange County, New York, United States. The village shares one government with the Town. The vast major ...

. At the ceremony, Moshe spoke and acknowledged that he cannot replace Joel, telling the Hasidim not to expect from him what they received from Joel. Some Satmar Hasidim did not accept him as the rebbe, including the Bnei Yoel (or ''Kagners'', opponents), a group of Hasidim who remained loyal to Joel's wife, Fayga Teitelbaum. Moshe Teitelbaum and his aunt Fayga never had a good relationship. Tension between the two began back when Fayga married Joel Teitelbaum. Fayga was Joel's second wife, and Joel already had a grown daughter. The grown daughter and Fayga fought over control of the household, and Moshe sided with his cousin against his aunt. Later, Joel's daughter died, and Fayga failed to bear any children and an heir for Joel.

As Satmar Rebbe

Moshe's start as Satmar Rebbe was marked with more controversy. Soon after becoming Rebbe, Moshe appointed his son

Aaron According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

as the chief rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Satmar congregation in

, essentially giving him authority over all the community's affairs. The residents of Kiryas Joel at that time resented the appointment of Aaron, having issues with his personality and controlling nature. Moshe also removed Joel's established personnel from positions of authority, and replaced them with his loyalists. Concerns about Moshe's level of piety also mounted. Likely false rumors circulated that in the negotiations between the Council and Moshe, prior to Moshe ascending as Rebbe, Moshe made numerous compensation demands, including demands that property be placed in his name, and special fees for High Holiday services. Other likely false rumors claimed that Moshe was engrossed in business, had a stock market ticker-tape in his house, and was busy promoting his real estate investments. As Rebbe, Moshe recognized his stature relative to the stature of his uncle Joel, and considered himself a "custodian" of what Joel created. He stated: "We must not blaze new trails, but study the teachings of my uncle." He continued many of the customs enacted by Joel. The differences between Joel and Moshe were noted in that, unlike the more mystical Joel, Moshe was more practical and plain-spoken. Moshe did not speak out against

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

as often as Joel, though that may be due to the fact that it did not have the same ideological draw during Moshe's tenure. Some complained that Moshe was not as charitable as Joel, though that may be because Moshe did not raise as much charity funds as the more charismatic Joel. In 1989, tensions between Moshe and the Bnei Yoel were exacerbated. In an April 1989 Passover speech, Moshe referred to the Bnei Yoel as "infidels". He later enacted a rule that new residents had to obtain permission from village leaders before moving in. In 1990, the two groups erupted in violence when a supporter of Fayga tried to erect a gate outside her home. A melee erupted, hundreds of angry Hasidim poured into the streets, three men were dragged from a car that was then set on fire, and three police officers were injured. Supporters of Alta Fayga in Kiryas Joel claimed that they have been physically attacked, and profanities were written on their sidewalk. Under Moshe's guidance, from 1980 until 2006, Satmar doubled in size to around 100,000–120,000 followers, the largest Hasidic group in the United States. At the time of his death, Satmar's real estate holdings were valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. Moshe Teitelbaum was the author of a five-volume Hasidic commentary on the Bible entitled ''Berach Moshe''.

Succession

In May 1999, Moshe Teitelbaum appointed his third son,

Zalman Zalman Tech Co. (usually simplified as ZALMAN) is a South Korean company that develops and provides aftermarket desktop computer products with primary focus on cooling enhancement. Zalman has done considerable product development since its foun ...

, as the local leader of the Williamsburg congregation. Until then, he had been the leader of Satmar in Jerusalem. This was seen as a signal from Moshe that Zalman was to lead Satmar after his death, overturning the previous assumption that he would be succeeded by his eldest son,

. He was his father's representative in communal affairs, and assumed his father's responsibilities when his father traveled. Moshe's appointment of Zalman as the local leader caused factions to form around Aaron and Zalman. Aaron's supporters claimed that Moshe had been "swayed by his advisers" to appoint Zalman because they were concerned they would lose influence under Aaron's regime. In April 2006, when Moshe died, the two sides negotiated through intermediaries over who would speak at his funeral, and in what order. Both sides declared their leader as the Rebbe. Moshe's will named Zalman as his successor, but Aaron's supporters dispute its validity, claiming that Moshe had suffered from dementia since 1997.

Death

On April 24, 2006, at the age of 91, Teitelbaum died of cancer. Tens of thousands of members of the Jewish community attended his funeral and burial procession in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and later in

. Eulogies in the main Satmar synagogue in Williamsburg were said by all the rebbe's children or their husbands, in order of their respective ages. Teitelbaum was buried near his uncle Joel in the sect's cemetery in Kiryas Joel. Then-Governor of New York State,

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...

, and Mayor of New York City

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...

issued statements in remembrance of Moshe. Moshe was survived by his wife; four sons, Aaron, Lipa, Zalmen Leib, and Shulem; two daughters, Bracha Meisels and Hendy Halberstam. At the time of his death, he had at least 86 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. At the time of his death, his first son, Aaron, and his third son, Zalman Leib, each claimed leadership of Satmar. The second son, Lipa, was the leader of a small congregation, called Zenta-Beirach Moshe Shul, in Williamsburg. His son-in-law, Rabbi Chaim Shia Halberstam, was a Satmar rebbe in Monsey, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teitelbaum, Moshe 1914 births 2006 deaths Auschwitz concentration camp survivors People from Sighetu Marmației Rebbes of Satmar Anti-Zionist Jews American Hasidic rabbis Rabbis of the Edah HaChareidis Hungarian Orthodox rabbis Hasidic rabbis in Europe Rabbis from New York (state) People from Borough Park, Brooklyn Descendants of the Baal Shem Tov People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn Teitelbaum family Romanian Orthodox rabbis Jewish anti-Zionism in Romania