Letter to Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum from His Daughter and Son-in-Law Jerusalem, 1948 Describing the fear in Eretz Yisrael From Arabs Murderers

 

Two personal letters to the Admor Rabbi Yoel of Satmar:

Side 1. Letter from his daughter Rebbetzin Chaya Roiza Teitelbaum.

Side 2. Letter from his son-in-law Rabbi Chananya Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum, Av Beis Din of Szentmihály.

In his letter, Rabbi Chananya Yom Tov Lipa describes the tragic wave of pogroms and terror from Arabs targeting innocent Jews of the Yishuv. He vividly conveys the dangers and terror felt when walking the streets, and the urgent prayers being held in shuls everywhere. He expresses his concerns regarding the impending departure of the British and entreats his father-in-law to pray for their safety and welfare.

The Admor Rabbi Chananya Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum (1836-1904) was the son of the Admor of Sassov Rabbi Chanoch Henoch, scion of the Alesk dynasty and author of the Ein Chanoch. He married the pious Rebbetzin Chaya Roiza, daughter of the Admor Rabbi Yoel of Satmar, and administered the famous yeshivah in Satmar. Rabbi Chananya Yom Tov Lipa was miraculously rescued with his wife from the flames of the Holocaust, and they made the harrowing journey together to the Holy Land. When Rabbi Yoel first visited Eretz Yisrael after the war, he stayed in their home, and eventually all three made their way to the United States. Sometime later, Rabbi Chananya Yom Tov Lipa returned to Eretz Yisrael where he founded Kiryas Yismach Moshe in Petach Tikva. His written legacy includes the sefer Minchas Yom Tov.

The righteous Rebbetzin Chaya Roiza Teitelbaum (d. 1953) was the daughter of the Admor Rabbi Yoel of Satmar. She was renowned as a great tzaddekes who “Pursued charity and lovingkindness and built many homes on foundations of purity” (epitaph on her tomb in Teveria). She passed away at a relatively young age, and her death evoked tremendous pain and grief in her father and all Satmar chassidim as she was the very last remnant of his illustrious family.

Jerusalem, 1948. Page size: 20×22 cm. Harav Chananya Yom Tov Lipa’s letter is written in Hebrew, and his wife’s letter is written in Yiddish.