I must preface this bizarre story with some basic Satmar History.
Satmar is divided into three camps:
(1) The "Aronie" faction that follow R' Aron Teitelbaum who resides in Monroe ...
.
(2) The "Zalonie" faction that follow R' Zalman Leib Teitelbaum who resides in Williamsburg
(3) The " Benii Yoel" faction that follow the late R' Yoel Teitelbaum; and they live primarily in Monroe .... they follow a Rabbi dead over 36 years.
R' Aron and R' Zalman Leib are children of the previous Satmar Rebbe, .... R' Moshe Teitelbaum (a nephew of R' Yoel Teitelbaum, founder of the Satmar dynasty,) who died 9 years ago.
He appointed as his successor his younger son, R' Zalman Leib even though R' Aron was the older son. It seems that R' Moshe had Aron's number!
The followers of R' Aron then spread a rumor that R' Moshe Teitelbaum lost his marbles, and had Alzheimers, and that R' Zalman Leib manipulated him into appointing him his successor...
This happened while R" Moshe was still alive and well!
I cannot understand why this R' Aron has any followers at all after calling his father "senile" while his father was still alive and well? How do thousands still kiss his paw?
It was of course a lie that R' Moshe had Alzheimers, but when it comes to money and power, truth means nothing!
So the two camps separated and now the once single largest Chassidus split in three, and as a result of this in-fighting, the chassidim of the two fighting brothers refuse to inter-marry and will not even eat each other's meat....
They have separate Shochtim and separate meat stores!
They now also have separate cemeteries because the Aronis' will not allow the Zalonis' into the Monroe cemetery...even after they are dead! "No dead Zalonis' in the cemetery"
The brothers are still in secular court, violating the second Rashi in Parshas Mishpatim! Rashi writes that a Jew that goes to secular court is basically worshiping Idols!
The Bneiii Yoel never accepted any of the brothers and never even accepted their father, R' Moshe Teitelbaum as the Satmar Rebbe!
They don't inter-marry with either of them and don't eat the meat of either of the brothers' followers.
They have their own Shuls and Schools.
They follow the concept of the Reform and Conservative Jewish movement that women can be rabbis as well, and accepted as their Rebbe , Rebbitzin Faige, widow of R' Yoel Teitelbaum.
She is now deceased as well!
Just to give you a flavor of the hate that R' Aron has for his opponents, .... R' Aron Teitelbaum once wrote in a Kol Koreh that children of the Bneii Yoel that reside in Monroe are mamzeirim because they don't use R' Aron's appointed Rabbis as the Mesader Kiddushin at their weddings!
It could actually be that they are in fact mamzeirim but not because they use their own Rabbonim to marry off their children.
The Bneii Yoel faction are considered in Satmar,"extremists" (if that is even possible in Satmar circles), and they recently distributed a letter to the parent body of their "holy institutions"!
I will loosely translate this garbage and then comment!
Honored Parents,
We find it very important to notify our devoted parent body, to be wary of Supermarkets that sell food products from a company that has a "Hebrew" name, written in Hebrew letters, selling appetizers, candy, and chocolate coins with symbols of the Tumedige State.
It is well known how our Holy Rabbi (R' Yoel Teitelbaum) sacrificed and waged war against the profane Zionist State and it's language!
It is known that he said:
"I say that according to Halacha , it is far better to bow down to a Christian Cross one hundred times a day then to learn one minute of Hebrew!"
Therefore we have an obligation to keep our children far away from these products, because the only way to ensure that our children continue in our ways , is, if we follow his (R" Yoel's) ways and his teaching not to allow strange winds to enter our lives.
Therefore, we ask our parent body not to allow such products (with Hebrew lettering) to enter our homes.
DIN: So there .... there you have it .... a leader of thousands, said that a Jew that puts on Tefillin every single day, a Jew that keeps Shabbos and eats kosher, should rather bow down "100 times a day to a cross" before he learns "one word of Hebrew!"
This leader, the "Ohaiv Yisroel" disparaged millions of Hebrew speaking Jews!
This leader also said that the miracles done in Israel during the 6 day war was done by Satan and not by Hashem!
According to the Rebbe, Hashem has, G-d forbid, a partner, the Satan, that does the miracles for Zionists..
Jews say every single morning in Adon Olam ..
"Ve'hu Echad V'ein Sheini, Le' hamshil Lo L'Hachbirah"
He is One, and He has no other partner to help Him rule!
But Satmar doesn't believe that, they believe that Hashem, Chas Ve'shalom has a partner .... the "Samach Mem" the Satan!
So who are the real Jews?
The Zionists that believe and thank G-D for the miracles he did in the 6 day war?
or
Satmar who believes that Hashem had nothing to do with it!
That Satan did the miracles!
The Satmar Rebbe, R' Yoel also believed that Americans never went to the moon!
