The Bais Din Zedek D'Shikun Square, previously requested Jews to "not purchase any lots within a mile of New Square" to keep the community isolated so that the community stays "completely impervious to outside influences."
Well, Satmar saw things differently and bought property on William Street, in order to build a new Bais Medrish and to basically start a new community adjacent to New Square.
The problem is that William Street is about 1/4 of a mile south of New Square, within the 1 mile radius!
New Square re-published it's request in this week's Community Connections, again requesting Jews not to buy houses within 1 mile of New Square, writing that they are posting it again "for the community's benefit"?
The reason they don't want Jews (goyim are ok) to live nearby , is because as the New Square Bais Din put it , they want Jews to uphold the "holy tzaddik's (previous Skverer Rebbe) desire for his kehilla to retain its unique identity in complete isolation."
If the surrounding Jewish communities were to spread even further towards New Square , to the point of reaching the parameters of New Square, the "blurring of our borders would defeat the founding-purpose of the shtetl."
They are afraid that if Satmar is a neighbor, the New Square residents might find the Satmar lifestyle more appealing and might G-D forbid leave New Square to join the more "liberal" Satmars!
So far, it looks like that Satmar will ignore the request, and as of this writing the 30 shuls that are within that 1 mile radius, are not planning to pick up and leave, and sell their shuls for churches.
Just a sampling of the shuls:
Cong Knesses Yisroel, Cong Kehilat New Hempstead, Rabbi Senter's Shul, Rabbi Teichman's Shul, Cong Ohaiv Shalom, Rabbi Spiegal's shul, Rabbi Neuberger's shul etc
We don't know whether the Satmar guys that bought the property are Aroinim or Zaloinim, my guess is that they are Zaloinim, Because Reb Aaron, the Satmar Monroe Rebbe, the leader of the Aroinim faction, is a brother-in-law to the Skverer Rebbe.
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| Map if New Square got its way |
The problem is that William Street is about 1/4 of a mile south of New Square, within the 1 mile radius!
New Square re-published it's request in this week's Community Connections, again requesting Jews not to buy houses within 1 mile of New Square, writing that they are posting it again "for the community's benefit"?
The reason they don't want Jews (goyim are ok) to live nearby , is because as the New Square Bais Din put it , they want Jews to uphold the "holy tzaddik's (previous Skverer Rebbe) desire for his kehilla to retain its unique identity in complete isolation."
If the surrounding Jewish communities were to spread even further towards New Square , to the point of reaching the parameters of New Square, the "blurring of our borders would defeat the founding-purpose of the shtetl."
They are afraid that if Satmar is a neighbor, the New Square residents might find the Satmar lifestyle more appealing and might G-D forbid leave New Square to join the more "liberal" Satmars!
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| What Har Sinai looked like according to New Square |
So far, it looks like that Satmar will ignore the request, and as of this writing the 30 shuls that are within that 1 mile radius, are not planning to pick up and leave, and sell their shuls for churches.
Just a sampling of the shuls:
Cong Knesses Yisroel, Cong Kehilat New Hempstead, Rabbi Senter's Shul, Rabbi Teichman's Shul, Cong Ohaiv Shalom, Rabbi Spiegal's shul, Rabbi Neuberger's shul etc
We don't know whether the Satmar guys that bought the property are Aroinim or Zaloinim, my guess is that they are Zaloinim, Because Reb Aaron, the Satmar Monroe Rebbe, the leader of the Aroinim faction, is a brother-in-law to the Skverer Rebbe.
