Rabbi Hertz Frankel has been writing a weekly series called "The Principal" in Ami magazine, basically describing his experiences as English Principal of Bais Rochel school for girls, a Satmar girl school.
The series should have been named "My Experiences with the Satmar Rav," because very little in the article describes his experiences being an English Principal; there is very little taught there, that resembles English. The series is all about the Satmar Rebbi Z"L and is basically a forum and a publicity stunt to take away any negative views the readers of Ami magazine might have about the Rebbi Z"L. This year the Satmars started a massive campaign to re-write the history of Satmar Rebbe who was a rabid anti-Zionist and couldn't bring himself to ever praise the Zionist, Rudolf Kastner, who was the Shliach from Hashem to save him from the claws of the Nazis. Feldheim put out a book about the Rebbi Z"L and from the book you would have never known that the Rebbi had a history of Machlokas going back to pre-war Szigat, Krula, and Satmar leaving controversy in his wake wherever he went.
Which brings me to this past week's column of Ami Magazine.
Hertz writes, I will take excerpts of his writings and comment.
( my comments are in red):
"The Jewish street was very sympathetic to Zionism in the '50 and '60s"
maybe they were sympathetic to the Zionists because those Jews that made aliyah before the war, survived?
"and the Rebbe's outspoken opposition to Zionism didn't make him very popular. On the contrary, he was shunned by the Jewish community and denounced at every opportunity. "
I don't have a clue who shunned and denounced him? Frankel chose not to name anybody!
"There was, consequently, no person in Jewish history who was so limited in his ability to raise funds as the Satmar Rebbe.
No Jewish group permitted Satmar to make an appeal in their shul."
A blatant lie. I davened in Chovevei Torah on Eastern Parkway, a shul that had an Israeli Flag, which had tens of Satmar Bochrim collecting every single day. " Everyone gave them money and no-one said boo" The Young Israel of Eastern Parkway had Satmar Bochrim collecting there every single Sunday (a Zionist shul). Satmar had the biggest Schnorrer Campaign, more than any other Heimishe yeshivah.
In "Jewish History?" Why don't you read up on Jewish history....Mr. Principle.
The Rebbe, nevertheless, would have gladly accepted money for his mosdos from other frum Jews. However, they all boycotted him. Most kehillos would permit Bobov, Torah Vodaath, or Chaim Berlin to make an appeal. But not Satmer.
This is a lie..everyone growing up in Crown Heights and Brownsville can never forget hundreds of Satmar boys collecting every single day in all shuls and Shteeblich. I remember when I was a child growing up in Brownsville, Satmer boys were collecting in the Gerrer Shtibal on Howard Ave, Raim Ahuvim on Prospect Place, and in Crown Heights they were collecting every single day in Bobov on Brooklyn Avenue. In fact they were the only ones to do so....only Satmar!!!!!!!!!!!!
And when did Satmar allow appeals for Yeshivah Chaim Berlin, Lakewood or for that matter any other Yeshivah in their shuls???
"The frum world, which was at that time quite supportive of Zionism, had no interest in this campaign of the Rebbe, and therefore ostracized him."
They were supportive of Zionism, because they were Holocaust survivors who had their wives, husbands, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, children and grandchildren murdered, and were thrilled that they now had a nation that would be their own, a place of refuge if a Holocaust would ever happen again. Not all Jews were as lucky as the Rebbi to have been saved by a Zionist!
The Satmar Yeshivas were the only Mosdos Hatorah in the entire history of the Jewish people that were based on a political agenda of Anti-Zionisim! All other mosdos like Bobov, Ger, Kloizenberg, Tzelem, Pupa, Lubavitch, Skver,were busy teaching their student's Torah, not infusing their precious little Neshamois with hate against fellow Jews.
Maybe that's why they were "ostracized."
The Rebbi "ostracized" himself, by not allowing his Chassidim to learn the Daf Hayoimie!
Unbelievable!!!! Do the readers of Ami know that all of Klall Yisroel...and I mean all...Lubavitch, Ger, Kloizenberg, Skver, Belz, Pupa etc , Litvish, YU and Young Israel ...are all united to learn the Daf, except Satmar?
....so who "ostracized" who? (the reason the Daf is banned in Satmar, because it is sponsored by Agudah ...all the Rebbe's decisions were political)
"As a result, everything the Rebbe built had to be funded from within; he was forced to obtain financial backing for his many projects solely from his followers. How these few Holocaust survivors found the means to do that is beyond me"
It's not beyond me.... they took it from government grants .... and guess who helped them get these grants? Yes! You guessed it: Aguda, who Satmar hated with a passion, because they wouldn't denounce Zionism. And the card carrying Aguda member Hertz Frankel knows this better than anyone but didn't mention it in any one of his articles.
The Rebbe refused to take money from a person who was Mechalel Shabbos, or from anyone else who the Rebbe believed had money that was tainted.
The Government Grants were Shomer Shabbos? The summer programs, the lunch programs, the pall grants, were Shomer Shabbos? How about all the money that the mosdos stole from the New York City Board of Education (remember that Mr. Hertz Frankel?)....
that wasn't tainted?
"There has been no leader in the history of Klal Yisrael who has been as abused, maligned, and insulted as the Satmar Rebbe."
Again, Reb Hertz, you obviously are clueless about Jewish History! And the Rebbe was the one abusing, maligning and insulting other Rabbonim. He had no respect for the Bobover Rebbe Z"L, or for that matter the Skverer Rebbe Shlitah,(we won't mention Kloizenberg, Belz and Ger that he loathed) those on the inside know exactly what I mean.(Vehameiven Yovin)
Now let me tell the readers of Ami something that Frankel will never write. We are not all Bais Ruchel Graduates, some of us actually attended schools that teach secular subjects in a Torah setting, and have some knowledge of recent history.
The reason the Rabbonim and other frum Jews "ostracised" the Rebbi was that the Rebbe never condemned any of his students and Chassidim when his Chassidim were terrorizing Kloizenberger Rebbi Z"L,
(the Kloizenberger Rebbe finally escaped to Union City New Jersey).
Who can forget when his Chassidim beat up the Lubavitcher Chassidim (they would walk in on YomTov from Crown Heights to be samaich the broken Holocaust survivors) putting many of the Chabadnikis in the Hospital.
He had by in large a bunch of hoodlums that would terrorise anyone that didn't agree with their views on Zionism (except for Gerrer Chassidim. They were terrified to mess with Ger because they would have broken their bones).
Who can forget when they kidnapped a bunch of Satmar Chassidim that decided to join Chabad and proceeded to cut their beards and peios (the last time someone did this to a Jew, the guy was a Nazi)?
Satmar burns the Israeli Flag in public infuriating Holocaust Survivors even Satmar Holocaust Survivors. Satmar is constantly protesting the Jewish State, infuriating other Frum Jews that are of the opinion that the State of israel was a gift from Hashem.
Tell me Rabbi frankel, how many Jews became Frum witnessing an Israeli Flag being burned? How many Jews became Frum witnessing the protests in front of the Israeli Mission?
Satmar say "Yemach Shemo" (a name reserved for Hitler YM"S) whenever they hear the name Harav Kook Z"L, Satmar say Yemach Shemo when they hear the Belzer Rebbe Shlita mentioned.
Who can forget the grafitti on the Gowanas Expressway that read "RASHA," "Shaigatz""Yemach Shemo" when the Belzer rebbe visited New York. The Belzer Rebbe is the leader of thousands of Jews, but that doesn't mean anything to these Romanian hooligans.
The reason other Jews "ostracised" the Rebbe, was because instead of trying to be Mekariv Jews he pushed them away with his violent tactics.... his shita was not to be inclusive, his shita was to be exclusive (even of other Chassidus).... his shita did not bring ONE JEW that wasn't frum to Yiddishkeit! Not one!
The Jews that he was "mekariev" were the Moroccans and Yemenite Jews, and that is a post or even a book in itself.
The Satmars scream that the Zionists kidnapped Yemenites in 1949 and secularized them, but wait till you hear what the Satmars did to them.
The fact is that his shita needs allot of explaining...
B"H, the State of Israel is a fact, and there are now more Jews living in The State of Israel then any other place on earth, there are more Jews learning Torah in Yeshivos in the Zionist State than any other place on earth. There are more Jews learning torah in the State of Israel since Matan Torah (no thanks to Satmar).
The State of Israel is flourishing and now is in 4th place as far as longevity is concerned. The country is not in a recession, and is doing economically far better than the USA.
Yes, it has its problems, but when did Eretz Yisroel ever have peace? Only a few years when Shlomo Hamelech was King... How many leaders of the Jewish people since Dovid Hamelech were frum? Only a handful!
This phenomenon didn't start with the Zionists! The Gemarrah records for posterity that the Kohanim Gedolim during the second Bais Hamikdash wern't frum and some wern't even Kohanim. We don't read about the Tanaim telling their students not to go to the Bais Hamikdash, because the leadership wern't frum!
And now Mr. Principle let me so bold as to teach you a bit of Jewish History.
The fact is that 99% of all Jews murdered, were murdered before the State of Israel was even created. In the last 63 years, since the State was created less Jews were murdered than in the entire Jewish History up to Shlomo Hamelech! B"H!
Yes, Israel is in danger of its neighbors, but give me a time in Jewish History when it wasn't? Yes, The State of Israel needs Rachmei Shomyim but so does the entire world. The Satmar Rebbe Z"L was a divisive person, and Frankel knows it but chooses to re-write history....
Now a word about Kosher Products with a "Heimishe" Hashgacha: Hertz Frankel had previously written that Satmar was instrumental in bringing Kosher products to the market... one can debate that, but what is irrefutable.... is that all Kashrut Scandals in the last couple of years were only the products with a Heimeshe Hashgacha not one scandal where the product had as a symbol an OU.... just a thought!
Rabbi Hertz Frankel, you are a Galizyaner, who panders and sucks up to the Hungarian and Romanian gypsies..... stop doing it, they will never accept you as one of their own, you will always be an outsider.
The series should have been named "My Experiences with the Satmar Rav," because very little in the article describes his experiences being an English Principal; there is very little taught there, that resembles English. The series is all about the Satmar Rebbi Z"L and is basically a forum and a publicity stunt to take away any negative views the readers of Ami magazine might have about the Rebbi Z"L. This year the Satmars started a massive campaign to re-write the history of Satmar Rebbe who was a rabid anti-Zionist and couldn't bring himself to ever praise the Zionist, Rudolf Kastner, who was the Shliach from Hashem to save him from the claws of the Nazis. Feldheim put out a book about the Rebbi Z"L and from the book you would have never known that the Rebbi had a history of Machlokas going back to pre-war Szigat, Krula, and Satmar leaving controversy in his wake wherever he went.
Hertz writes, I will take excerpts of his writings and comment.
( my comments are in red):
"The Jewish street was very sympathetic to Zionism in the '50 and '60s"
maybe they were sympathetic to the Zionists because those Jews that made aliyah before the war, survived?
"and the Rebbe's outspoken opposition to Zionism didn't make him very popular. On the contrary, he was shunned by the Jewish community and denounced at every opportunity. "
I don't have a clue who shunned and denounced him? Frankel chose not to name anybody!
"There was, consequently, no person in Jewish history who was so limited in his ability to raise funds as the Satmar Rebbe.
No Jewish group permitted Satmar to make an appeal in their shul."
A blatant lie. I davened in Chovevei Torah on Eastern Parkway, a shul that had an Israeli Flag, which had tens of Satmar Bochrim collecting every single day. " Everyone gave them money and no-one said boo" The Young Israel of Eastern Parkway had Satmar Bochrim collecting there every single Sunday (a Zionist shul). Satmar had the biggest Schnorrer Campaign, more than any other Heimishe yeshivah.
In "Jewish History?" Why don't you read up on Jewish history....Mr. Principle.
The Rebbe, nevertheless, would have gladly accepted money for his mosdos from other frum Jews. However, they all boycotted him. Most kehillos would permit Bobov, Torah Vodaath, or Chaim Berlin to make an appeal. But not Satmer.
This is a lie..everyone growing up in Crown Heights and Brownsville can never forget hundreds of Satmar boys collecting every single day in all shuls and Shteeblich. I remember when I was a child growing up in Brownsville, Satmer boys were collecting in the Gerrer Shtibal on Howard Ave, Raim Ahuvim on Prospect Place, and in Crown Heights they were collecting every single day in Bobov on Brooklyn Avenue. In fact they were the only ones to do so....only Satmar!!!!!!!!!!!!
And when did Satmar allow appeals for Yeshivah Chaim Berlin, Lakewood or for that matter any other Yeshivah in their shuls???
"The frum world, which was at that time quite supportive of Zionism, had no interest in this campaign of the Rebbe, and therefore ostracized him."
They were supportive of Zionism, because they were Holocaust survivors who had their wives, husbands, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, children and grandchildren murdered, and were thrilled that they now had a nation that would be their own, a place of refuge if a Holocaust would ever happen again. Not all Jews were as lucky as the Rebbi to have been saved by a Zionist!
The Satmar Yeshivas were the only Mosdos Hatorah in the entire history of the Jewish people that were based on a political agenda of Anti-Zionisim! All other mosdos like Bobov, Ger, Kloizenberg, Tzelem, Pupa, Lubavitch, Skver,were busy teaching their student's Torah, not infusing their precious little Neshamois with hate against fellow Jews.
Maybe that's why they were "ostracized."
The Rebbi "ostracized" himself, by not allowing his Chassidim to learn the Daf Hayoimie!
Unbelievable!!!! Do the readers of Ami know that all of Klall Yisroel...and I mean all...Lubavitch, Ger, Kloizenberg, Skver, Belz, Pupa etc , Litvish, YU and Young Israel ...are all united to learn the Daf, except Satmar?
....so who "ostracized" who? (the reason the Daf is banned in Satmar, because it is sponsored by Agudah ...all the Rebbe's decisions were political)
"As a result, everything the Rebbe built had to be funded from within; he was forced to obtain financial backing for his many projects solely from his followers. How these few Holocaust survivors found the means to do that is beyond me"
It's not beyond me.... they took it from government grants .... and guess who helped them get these grants? Yes! You guessed it: Aguda, who Satmar hated with a passion, because they wouldn't denounce Zionism. And the card carrying Aguda member Hertz Frankel knows this better than anyone but didn't mention it in any one of his articles.
The Rebbe refused to take money from a person who was Mechalel Shabbos, or from anyone else who the Rebbe believed had money that was tainted.
The Government Grants were Shomer Shabbos? The summer programs, the lunch programs, the pall grants, were Shomer Shabbos? How about all the money that the mosdos stole from the New York City Board of Education (remember that Mr. Hertz Frankel?)....
that wasn't tainted?
"There has been no leader in the history of Klal Yisrael who has been as abused, maligned, and insulted as the Satmar Rebbe."
Again, Reb Hertz, you obviously are clueless about Jewish History! And the Rebbe was the one abusing, maligning and insulting other Rabbonim. He had no respect for the Bobover Rebbe Z"L, or for that matter the Skverer Rebbe Shlitah,(we won't mention Kloizenberg, Belz and Ger that he loathed) those on the inside know exactly what I mean.(Vehameiven Yovin)
Now let me tell the readers of Ami something that Frankel will never write. We are not all Bais Ruchel Graduates, some of us actually attended schools that teach secular subjects in a Torah setting, and have some knowledge of recent history.
The reason the Rabbonim and other frum Jews "ostracised" the Rebbi was that the Rebbe never condemned any of his students and Chassidim when his Chassidim were terrorizing Kloizenberger Rebbi Z"L,
(the Kloizenberger Rebbe finally escaped to Union City New Jersey).
Who can forget when his Chassidim beat up the Lubavitcher Chassidim (they would walk in on YomTov from Crown Heights to be samaich the broken Holocaust survivors) putting many of the Chabadnikis in the Hospital.
He had by in large a bunch of hoodlums that would terrorise anyone that didn't agree with their views on Zionism (except for Gerrer Chassidim. They were terrified to mess with Ger because they would have broken their bones).
Who can forget when they kidnapped a bunch of Satmar Chassidim that decided to join Chabad and proceeded to cut their beards and peios (the last time someone did this to a Jew, the guy was a Nazi)?
Satmar burns the Israeli Flag in public infuriating Holocaust Survivors even Satmar Holocaust Survivors. Satmar is constantly protesting the Jewish State, infuriating other Frum Jews that are of the opinion that the State of israel was a gift from Hashem.
Tell me Rabbi frankel, how many Jews became Frum witnessing an Israeli Flag being burned? How many Jews became Frum witnessing the protests in front of the Israeli Mission?
Satmar say "Yemach Shemo" (a name reserved for Hitler YM"S) whenever they hear the name Harav Kook Z"L, Satmar say Yemach Shemo when they hear the Belzer Rebbe Shlita mentioned.
Who can forget the grafitti on the Gowanas Expressway that read "RASHA," "Shaigatz""Yemach Shemo" when the Belzer rebbe visited New York. The Belzer Rebbe is the leader of thousands of Jews, but that doesn't mean anything to these Romanian hooligans.
The reason other Jews "ostracised" the Rebbe, was because instead of trying to be Mekariv Jews he pushed them away with his violent tactics.... his shita was not to be inclusive, his shita was to be exclusive (even of other Chassidus).... his shita did not bring ONE JEW that wasn't frum to Yiddishkeit! Not one!
The Jews that he was "mekariev" were the Moroccans and Yemenite Jews, and that is a post or even a book in itself.
The Satmars scream that the Zionists kidnapped Yemenites in 1949 and secularized them, but wait till you hear what the Satmars did to them.
The fact is that his shita needs allot of explaining...
B"H, the State of Israel is a fact, and there are now more Jews living in The State of Israel then any other place on earth, there are more Jews learning Torah in Yeshivos in the Zionist State than any other place on earth. There are more Jews learning torah in the State of Israel since Matan Torah (no thanks to Satmar).
The State of Israel is flourishing and now is in 4th place as far as longevity is concerned. The country is not in a recession, and is doing economically far better than the USA.
Yes, it has its problems, but when did Eretz Yisroel ever have peace? Only a few years when Shlomo Hamelech was King... How many leaders of the Jewish people since Dovid Hamelech were frum? Only a handful!
This phenomenon didn't start with the Zionists! The Gemarrah records for posterity that the Kohanim Gedolim during the second Bais Hamikdash wern't frum and some wern't even Kohanim. We don't read about the Tanaim telling their students not to go to the Bais Hamikdash, because the leadership wern't frum!
And now Mr. Principle let me so bold as to teach you a bit of Jewish History.
The fact is that 99% of all Jews murdered, were murdered before the State of Israel was even created. In the last 63 years, since the State was created less Jews were murdered than in the entire Jewish History up to Shlomo Hamelech! B"H!
Yes, Israel is in danger of its neighbors, but give me a time in Jewish History when it wasn't? Yes, The State of Israel needs Rachmei Shomyim but so does the entire world. The Satmar Rebbe Z"L was a divisive person, and Frankel knows it but chooses to re-write history....
Now a word about Kosher Products with a "Heimishe" Hashgacha: Hertz Frankel had previously written that Satmar was instrumental in bringing Kosher products to the market... one can debate that, but what is irrefutable.... is that all Kashrut Scandals in the last couple of years were only the products with a Heimeshe Hashgacha not one scandal where the product had as a symbol an OU.... just a thought!
Rabbi Hertz Frankel, you are a Galizyaner, who panders and sucks up to the Hungarian and Romanian gypsies..... stop doing it, they will never accept you as one of their own, you will always be an outsider.