Thousands of Satmar Chassidim gathered this week at Eden Palace in Williamsburg for a major emergency assembly led by the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Joel, focusing on strengthening standards of kedusha and tznius throughout the kehillah.
The gathering, titled “Shemirah L’Doros,” was attended by thousands of chassidim together with the community’s rabbanim and dayanim.
Before the Rebbe’s arrival, his eldest son, HaRav Menachem Mendel Teitelbaum, Av Beis Din of Satmar-Williamsburg, delivered a passionate address stressing the importance of tznius, proper head coverings, the dangers posed by modern sheitels, technology, and other contemporary spiritual challenges.
When the Rebbe addressed the gathering, he delivered an emotional and forceful speech calling on families to preserve the mesorah of previous generations.
Quoting the pasuk, “V’hayah B’achalchem Milechem Ha’aretz Tarimu Terumah LaHashem,” the Rebbe explained that “lechem” alludes to a wife, while “terumah” signifies separation. He urged families to separate themselves from the influences and values of the outside world when building a Jewish home.
The Rebbe sharply criticized communities that are meticulous in many areas of religious observance while, in his view, failing to maintain proper standards of tznius.
“We live in Williamsburg alongside communities that are careful with many chumros and customs, yet regarding tznius they are not careful at all,” the Rebbe said. “Our holy forefathers regarded kedusha and tznius as among the most serious matters. We have a clear mesorah for how to conduct ourselves, how to dress, and how to educate our children, and it must not be changed to suit the spirit of the times or current fashions.”
At one point, the Rebbe became visibly emotional as he lamented what he described as the growing differences between generations.
“The gap in dress between the grandmother and the children and grandchildren is terrible,” he said. “In our generation there is a frightening decline. A chassidic Jew must conduct himself with dignity and elevation, not be drawn after neighbors or society, but stand proudly with the traditions that have been entrusted to us.”
The Rebbe also argued that much of the weakening in standards begins when bochurim are sent to study outside Satmar institutions.
“A large part of this weakening comes from sending young men to learn in outside yeshivos,” he said. “There they are exposed to foreign hashkafos and cool off in matters of chassidus and yiras Shamayim. Later, they see nothing wrong with their wives becoming lenient in matters of dress and tznius.”
The Rebbe strongly endorsed the earlier remarks delivered by his son, saying they were “words that come from the heart,” and urged every participant to ensure that proper standards are maintained within their own homes and families.
At the conclusion of the gathering, the Rebbe praised students of the Satmar Beis Rochel schools who recently accepted upon themselves to cut their long hair, commending them for what he described as a courageous step in strengthening the kedusha of the Jewish home.
He concluded by blessing the assembled chassidim that they should succeed in upholding the community’s standards and ended with the words, “In the merit of righteous women our forefathers were redeemed, and through righteous women may we soon merit the final redemption, Amen.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
8 Responses
“A chassidic Jew must conduct himself with dignity and elevation, not be drawn after neighbors or society, but stand proudly with the traditions that have been entrusted to us.”
Did Israel Ben Eliezer (who they call Baal Shem Tov) stand proudly with traditions that have been entrusted to him, or did he just go off and do his own thing?
What a comedy to be preaching about Tznius when your chief Tznius Police Officer is spending 103 years in prison for heinous Tznius breaches, and yet you’re supporting him & not the victims of his unspeakable breaches.
So he would rather have the boys learn in inferior Hungarian yeshivos than be exposed to Litvishe yeshivishe world? Like he owns his sheep, right?
While the Rebbe’s comments about a weakening the high Tznius standards of our grandmothers, blaming it on Satmar bochrim learning in other Yeshivas is outrageous, In one felt swoop, he condemned the great Yeshivas we have other than Satmar. What kind of Manhig is he that can say Loshon Hora about great Yeshivas?
Dear Yeshiva World News staff, I recognize the Satmar Rebbe’s concern about proper Tznius-dige behavior by their Yidden. Also, it was mentioned in your article the concern about wearing Sheitels. And, lastly there is a great unhappiness that Satmars are experiencing with the obviously visible gap in modest dress between their Bubbies and their Granddaughters. Let me see if I can say something simple here so as not to speak so excessively as a Kallah of Chabad Lubavitch (Pirke Avos). First of all the Satmar Males are absolutely right. The outside influences of their Bocherim and Talmidim and Rabbeinus is partly to blame most especially when they live in very ‘lax’ Kashrus situations and then move into Kiryas Yoel’s community. Next, electronics are a modernizing factor. And finally, the Sheitel industry has gone overboard providing women with dilemmas in ‘erva’ visibility. What I can do is this; pray for your women and girl’s strength to overcome these unfortunate temptations and the same goes for their Chossons. Please know I stand with you on concerns about immodesty and impurity in your female population. Refuah Shleima one and all. B”M Omein.
Halevai that the ENTIRE Klal Yisroel heard this drosha from their own Rebbes and Rabbis. It is even more applicable to most other communities.
I don’t understand why people aren’t willing to allow certain groups to have higher standards in their service of Hashem. One should at least be proud of them, if not also personally wishing and striving to reach those standards.
@doom777
Is your basis for that question some maskilic work, or have you ever come across any of his own/students writings/teachings?
@SR and @OblikoMorale
It is not a condemnation of other yeshivos; it is a fact that those yeshivos don’t have the same required standards as does Satmar and, therefore, if their boys learn in those yeshivos and adopt the lower (than Satmar) standards there then they will necessarily be at a lower standard than their parents and grandparents. That’s pretty simple.
I say when they send all their bochurim to demonstrations in Manhattan and they see all ervas and pritzas, that is the time they open their eyes, and go off the derech, what they should do instead, stay in Beis Hamedrash learn and daven to hashem to be mevatel all the bad geziros