After months of meticulous planning on both sides of the Atlantic, the Satmar Grand Rabbi, Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum, will travel to Israel on Saturday night, January 19th, in order to celebrate the wedding of his granddaughter. This visit is the first time in thirty years that a Satmar Grand Rabbi has traveled to Israel and marks the first time that Rabbi Teitelbaum will go to Israel as Grand Rabbi of the Satmar chasidim. The Grand Rabbi is expected to be accompanied on his trip by hundreds of thousands of his followers from all across the globe.
Rabbi Teitelbaum has been the leader of the large and influential chasidic sect for the past seven years, having inherited the position upon the death of his father, Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum, who was the leader of the Satmar chasidim for thirty five years until his death in 2006 at the age of 92. The Satmar congregation consists of a main synagogue in Williamsburg at 152 Rodney Street as well as over thirty smaller synagogues, separate schools that educate approximately19,000 boys and girls and numerous charitable funds and organization. The congregation also has its own cemetery and matza bakery.
The Grand Rabbi’s departure will begin with a gala farewell celebration, which will take place on Saturday night at 7:30 PM, outside his home at 550 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. Approximately 5,000 to 8,000 people are expected to gather to bid farewell to their leader and receive his blessings prior to his trip and a special designated media area will be set up at 550 Bedford Avenue. The official ceremony will begin with the Grand Rabbi greeting his followers from the balcony of his home and will continue for two hours with music, loudspeakers and dancing. A procession, which will include schoolchildren bearing torches, will accompany the Grand Rabbi for five blocks, from his home to Williamsburg West after which the Grand Rabbi and his entourage which proceed to JFK airport, accompanied by a police escort.
Hundreds of hours of planning have gone into preparations for this historic celebration in order to ensure the security of the Grand Rabbi during his visit. Numerous agencies have been involved in coordinating the complex logistics of the Grand Rabbi’s travel plans including the NYPD, the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, all of whom have been thoroughly briefed on what to expect as the expected masses pass through both JFK and Newark on their way to Israel for this monumental celebration.
While many are expected to begin their travel during the week, the Grand Rabbi, his immediate family and his entourage will be flying to Israel on Delta flight 268, a non-stop Saturday night flight departing JFK at 11:10 PM on January 19th. Because of the prohibitions of doing any work on the Jewish Sabbath which extend until 6:11 PM many, including the Grand Rabbi and his group, are not expected to arrive at JFK until approximately 9:45 PM. As passengers will be in Israel for both the wedding and the post nuptial celebrations, they will be traveling with two week’s worth of luggage which will include many ritual objects including prayer shawls, phylacteries and various silver items of religious significance.
The Grand Rabbi’s arrival is being anxiously awaited by 150,000 followers in Israel and very tight security measures are being taken for this visit by the military and other agencies. A stadium-like wedding hall has been constructed in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh for the January 23rd wedding in order to accommodate the expected crowds which will include VIPs, dignitaries and guests from Israel, the United States, Canada, England and France as well as men, women and children of all ages.
(Press Release)
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27 Responses
Thank You for clearing up the confusion of when the wedding is. As reported on YWN earlier, “The chasenah is schedule to take place on Tu B’Shevat” http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/Headlines+&+Breaking+Stories/153084/Kabolas+Ponim+for+the+Satmar+Rebbe+Shlita+in+Eretz+Yisrael.html
Tu B’Shevat is on shabbos this year and it is on Jan 26
Maybe i’m totally off the mark here, but I assume this should say “Hundreds AND Thousands of people” instead of Hundreds OF Thousands of people”. It’s EXTREMELY unlikely that hundreds of thousands of people are travelling together anywhere, regardless of ho many people love the Satmar Rebbe…
First time in thirty years? Actually, the previous Rebbe made a grand appearance in Yerushalayim about 18 years ago.
“they will be traveling with two week’s worth of luggage which will include many ritual objects including prayer shawls, phylacteries and various silver items of religious significance”
Could someone please explain why this information is significant??
I pray that Hashem will put in their hearts and prayers to love our State of Israel.
Without taking sides. I think his brother R’s Aron, which is also called grand rabbi of Satmar was there not too long who, when they signed the peace treaty… with belz
Thanks for ‘posting’my inquiry.
Is TSA going to make him take off his Bekisha again?
You write:
“Because of the prohibitions of doing any work on the Jewish Sabbath which extend until 6:11 PM”
This is true if you go according to the opinion of “Rabeinu Tam”, which Satmar follows. However, many follow the opinion of the “Geoninm”, thus, Shabbos ends earlier.
So glad that the State of ISRAEL will benefit from these tourists use of taxis, buses, food, medical supplies and catering services. Sounds like a win-win situation!!
Oh please…..”hundreds of thousands”???? I guess YWN is just quoting the “press release” by Satamar themselves.
First time in 30 years? Hardly. Last year the Rabbi Rav Aron went and famously met his estranged Brother In Law, the Belzer Rebbe.
Sorry you have it wrong it’s actually Millions!!
Why are online news sites like this negligent about the facts and details? It is obvious that a follower of this Satmarer wrote this article because it makes it sounds as if this rebbe is the ONLY rebbe of Satmar, when in fact he has a brother who is also a rebbe.
Moderators Note: This is a “press release” and clearly marked as such.
Really? You need hundreds of people following you to your granddaughter’s wedding? And why does the writer feel the need to tell us what they are traveling with? This article has no professionalism whatsoever.
This is what Chassidis has become, court cases, and press releases.
You are all just not reading or understanding!!!
While I do criticize YWN often this is clearly marked as Press Release, which means for all you geniuses that someone working in the Satmar Rebbes office put it together to distribute to all media!
Read before you comment.
What a GUZMA – hundreds of thousands !! This Satmar press release is way off mark. It REALLY should say one of the Grand Rabbis (of Satmar)Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum is traveling to Palestine (Israel) …, with thousands of followers, etc.
Every Jew that goes to Israel comes with Tallis & Tefillin, and maybe a kiddush cup, so what’s the Chiddush, that it has to be mentioned here ?
For u asking. “Could someone please explain why this information is significant??”,
Well it’s not. But why are u even replying? Some Jealousy??.
And for you asking “This article has no professionalism whatsoever??” Well it doesn’t, but the word “whatsoever” is a bit extreme, since the point of the article you catch right away…
I really hope everyone remembers to remove their laptops from their bags and place them in a seperate bin. This will avoid so much confusion with hundreds of billions of chassidim traveling together to a wedding!
“The Grand Rabbi’s arrival is being anxiously awaited by 150,000 followers in Israel and very tight security measures are being taken for this visit by the military and other agencies.”
Will they actually be working with the Israeli military?? Say it aint so! 😉
This visit is the first time in thirty years that a Satmar Grand Rabbi has traveled to Israel
The Satmar Rebbe Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum attended the funeral of his father in law, the Viznitz Rebbe this past Adar, also arriving with a police escort to ensure that he arrived at the cemetery prior to sunset.
two week’s worth of luggage When I travel to Israel, I travel light, and bring my clothing to a laundrette every 3rd day, which helps the Israeli economy as well as my shoulders.
“Hundreds of Thousands”
That’s at least 200,000. So Let’s say an average plane carries 500, that’s 400 planes that will be accompanying Rabbi Teitelbaum to Israel!!
Someone pls call the duty free shops to stock up on whisky.
he shouldnt receive any police or military protection. the state doesnt exist.
let him stay home….we dont need him here
If only the Rebbe and his hundreds or thousands of Chassidim were coming to properly fulfill the mitzva of yishuv ha’aretz. If not, they’re just tourists.
The SATMAR Grand Rabbi Rabbi Zalman Leib served as satmar rav in yerushalim and lived there from 1997-2000. Therefor , he has been there in the last thirty years. He also went in 2003 for a grandsons bris.
The Grand Rabbi is expected to be accompanied on his trip by hundreds of thousands of his followers
Does this include his wife A.K.A. the grandmother of the Bride? or is there a separate flight for female relatives?
Is he being Mesader Kiddushin?