The Unexpected Successes of Satmar Hasidim – San Diego Jewish World
Posted By admin on February 11, 2022
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin
BOCA RATON, Florida American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, A Hasidic Village in Upstate New York is a brilliant, eye-opening, thought provoking, easy to read and enjoyable book by two university scholars, Nomi M. Stolzenberg of the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, who has written widely on law and religion, and David N. Myers of the University of California, Chair in Jewish History, whose many books include Jewish History: A Very Short Introduction.
Despite the radical ways Satmar Hasidim differ from mainstream religions and even from most other Jews, as we will soon read, the authors write, The fundamental claim of this book, [is] that the Satmar community of Kiryas Joel is a quintessentially American phenomenon. Fighting for the right to preserve ones culture is in fact quintessentially American whether it be the Christian baker who refuses to make a cake for a gay wedding or an Orthodox Jew who practices a controversial form of circumcision. Thus, the authors tell us that we will learn much about America by reading how Satmar became successful.
Readers will learn how a group of pious, Yiddish-speaking Hasidic Jewish families, dressed differently than the current American fashion, settled in a small area in upstate New York. They built a village that was turned into a town. They have a powerful local Satmar government despite strong and even legal opposition by nearby non-Jewish and even Jewish neighbors. They did this despite there being no precedent for such a town in European Jewish history. Remarkably, as the authors stress, although Satmar insisted that their adherents continue the practices of a prior century in Eastern Europe, they achieved success by using American methods of participating in local and state elections, becoming a formidable voting bloc, influencing politicians at all levels, using the courts, getting government monetary support, and more. They would not have been successful not at all if they maintained their basic principle of separation from the non-Jewish world to the greatest extent possible.
We read a detailed description of the charismatic founder of Satmar Hasidim, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum (1887-1974), who had this view of separation. He dreamed of founding a Jewish town modeled on the shtetls, the small enclaves, where he was born in Hungary. The project began on September 27, 1972, when a Satmar man purchased the first parcel of land in Monroe, New York. On March 2, 1977, the village of Kiryas Joel was formally established. On July 1, 2018, Kiryas Joel became a formal town called Palm Tree, English for Teitelbaum.
The name Satmar is derived from the name of the birthplace of Rabbi Teitelbaums version of Hasidim. He formed the group in 1905. He dedicated the movement to rejecting modernity, revereing the way of ancient Israel, and separating from the non-Jewish world. He included a strong hatred of the current State of Israel which, in his opinion, failed to wait for the messiahs arrival before establishing a secular state. The impure language of Modern Hebrew must never be spoken. His view of Judaism and that of his followers is a refusal to change any tradition of the nineteenth century, including clothes, reading material, beliefs, and practices. This is a code of conduct enunciated by Rabbi Moses Sofer (1762-1839 known as Chasam Sofer), innovation is forbidden as a matter of Torah law.
Satmar Hasidim grew quickly from 1905. It is today the largest Hasidic movement in the world. It has over 150,000 members. Since the death of Rabbi Teitelbaum and the death of his successor, most of the Satmar Hasidim are either located at Kiryas Joel or in Williamsburg under two different leaders. What prompted the division is reported intriguingly by the two authors.
As a result of conformity, Kiryas Joel is a sea of uniformity. Men are dressed in black with tzitzis (fringes) hanging outside their pants from their prayer shawl undergarment. Most men have beards and carefully twirled sidelocks based on their interpretation of Leviticus 19:26. Women wear long skirts as well as tops that cover their necklines and sleeves that extend to their wrists. They wear thick stockings, not sheer ones. Married women cover their heads after shaving off their hair every month.
Procreation is a sacred ideal in the community and many families therefore have between eight and 15 children. Girls are encouraged to marry at age 18 and boys at 20. The median age of Kiryas Joel is 12.4. Homes are crowded, children rarely have their own bedroom, but each parent has his and her separate bed for religious reasons.
There are signs advising men and women to walk on different sides of the street during the Sabbath and holidays. Women are forbidden to drive cars. Food such as sushi is deemed too blatant a symbol of assimilation into American society and is unacceptable.
Secular education is minimized. There is no public library in the town. Men are encouraged to learn sacred texts. Women are allowed some secular studies. The average Satmar follower has little understanding of how the outside world works, and many men lack the functional levels of English required to make their way into a competitive labor market. The burden of economic responsibility therefore shifts to women.
The median household income is $26,000 half the national average. As of 2008, nearly fifty percent of Satmar families live below the poverty line. A high 93 percent of the village are enrolled in Medicaid programs for low income individuals and families.
The authors conclude their very insightful book by reminding us that one may look aghast at the weakened wall of separation between synagogue and state because of the many supports that the state, including the funds the federal government gives Satmar, as well as KJs [Kiryas Joels] decidedly conservative values on gender, education, and social integration. But none should doubt that Kiryas Joel is an American creation, born and bred in this country, and belongs to a long tradition of strong religious communities [of all faiths] that have survived and flourished in the United States.
We should add that although one may disagree with the Satmar Hasidim and dislike how they practice their religion, we need to recognize that under American law and the biblical demand to love your neighbor as yourself, they have a right to their view. We dare not interfere with them or belittle them unless they harm others, which they certainly do not do.
*Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin is a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army chaplains corps and the author of more than 50 books.
Original post:
The Unexpected Successes of Satmar Hasidim - San Diego Jewish World
- I'm A Queer Woman Who Left My Marriage In The Hasidic Community. Theres One Thing People Don't Understand. - HuffPost UK - September 30th, 2023
- Hasidic Judaism - Wikiwand - September 24th, 2023
- Hasidic | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary - September 22nd, 2023
- Hasidic rapper Moshe Reuven is making history - Unpacked - Jewish Unpacked - September 22nd, 2023
- Yeshivas refusal to enroll a 10-year-old pits a Hasidic father against a non-Hasidic mother - Forward - September 22nd, 2023
- List of Hasidic dynasties and groups - Wikipedia - September 12th, 2023
- Hasidic rockers Why Evolution Is True - Why Evolution Is True - September 12th, 2023
- I led an antisemitism training for workers in a labor dispute with their Hasidic bosses. Heres what I learned - Forward - September 12th, 2023
- Hasidim | Encyclopedia.com - September 5th, 2023
- What Hasidic Boys Learn, An Enlightening Conversation with Moshe ... - CrownHeights.info - September 5th, 2023
- New Hasidic song slams yeshivas that reject students who dont fit in - Forward - September 5th, 2023
- Rap group Three 6 Mafia arrives on TikTok with videos of Hasidic ... - The Jewish News of Northern California - August 22nd, 2023
- Hasid - Wikipedia - August 16th, 2023
- Viznitz Hasidic group petitions for village in Thompson, Fallsburg - Times Herald-Record - August 6th, 2023
- Cardi B Stirs Controversy Tweeting Photo of Hasidic Jews After ... - Algemeiner - August 6th, 2023
- Hasidic life in Uman: A journey across Ukraine to the Tomb of Rabbi ... - Milwaukee Independent - August 6th, 2023
- THE HASIDIC KOPPLE Comes to the Cameri Theatre This Month - Broadway World - July 9th, 2023
- Hundreds protest Hasidic pilgrimages to Haifa monastery - The Times of Israel - June 25th, 2023
- The Belzer Rebbe Has Created A Program To Support Ex-Hasidic Jews - Jew in the City - June 10th, 2023
- The Hasidic Community's Reckoning Over COVID-19 - The Atlantic - May 22nd, 2023
- How the haredi Orthodox are changing Israel - May 22nd, 2023
- When One Parent Leaves a Hasidic Community, What Happens to the Kids? - May 22nd, 2023
- Hasidic Judaism - May 9th, 2023
- Hasidic Movement: A History - May 9th, 2023
- Hasidic philosophy - May 9th, 2023
- Suspect arrested in assaults on Hasidic Jewish men in Outremont - Montreal Gazette - April 22nd, 2023
- Hasidic Judaism Rules & Customs | What Does Hasidic Mean? | Study.com - March 28th, 2023
- How Public Money Goes to Support a Hasidic Villages Private Schools ... - February 25th, 2023
- How the Hasidic Jewish Community Became a Political Force in New York - February 25th, 2023
- Ashkenazi Hasidim - Wikipedia - February 17th, 2023
- What Is Chabad? | My Jewish Learning - February 11th, 2023
- Payot - Wikipedia - February 4th, 2023
- Anti-Hasidic bias claimed in suit over 2,600-home Lost Lake project - January 2nd, 2023
- Why Do Hasidic Jews Dress So Differently? - Seeker - December 27th, 2022
- Hasidic School Is Breaking State Education Law, N.Y. Official Rules - December 11th, 2022
- Zeldin Sees a Path to Becoming Governor. It Runs Through Brooklyn. - December 11th, 2022
- Jeff Wilbusch left his Hasidic community at 13. Now he's exploring his ... - December 11th, 2022
- Hasidic School to Pay $8 Million After Admitting to Widespread Fraud - December 7th, 2022
- Developer claims anti-Hasidic bias in suit over thwarted housing plans - December 7th, 2022
- In Hasidic Enclaves, Failing Yeshivas Flush With Public Money - The New ... - December 7th, 2022
- New York Hasidic School Admits to Benefit Fraud Conspiracy, Agrees to ... - November 6th, 2022
- Mother of 10 says her kids didn't learn basic reading, math, science at ... - November 6th, 2022
- Upsherin - Wikipedia - November 6th, 2022
- Why The New York Times translated its Hasidic yeshiva investigation ... - October 17th, 2022
- Im not Hasidic, but an afternoon in Williamsburg deepened my appreciation of Sukkot - Forward - October 17th, 2022
- A food truck at Duke University offers a truce to rising tensions on Mideast politics - Religion News Service - October 17th, 2022
- A More Perfect Mediocracy by Liel Leibovitz | Articles - First Things - October 17th, 2022
- Stop saying there's a polio emergency | News, Sports, Jobs - Alpena News - October 6th, 2022
- Where do Hochul and Zeldin stand on education? - Chalkbeat New York - October 6th, 2022
- How concierge IV therapy went from Instagram trend to pre-Yom Kippur hydration hack - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - October 6th, 2022
- War-torn Ukraine prepares for mass arrival of Hasidic Jews to Uman - September 27th, 2022
- Thousands of Hasidic Jews defy travel warnings by making New Year ... - September 27th, 2022
- Wanted for slapping Hasidic man in unprovoked attack - New York Daily News - September 27th, 2022
- The Civic Duties of Hasidic Schools | Cole S. Aronson - First Things - September 23rd, 2022
- A formerly Hasidic mom who sued her sons yeshiva will head nonprofit advocating for secular education - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - September 23rd, 2022
- Letters to the editor | | tulsaworld.com - Tulsa World - September 23rd, 2022
- No Soul Is Safe in Teaser Trailer for the Jewish Folklore Horror Film THE OFFERING GeekTyrant - GeekTyrant - September 23rd, 2022
- I read a secret transcript of Hasidic sex advice. Ive read worse. - Forward - August 12th, 2022
- South Blooming Grove finishes review of 600-home Clovewood project - Times Herald-Record - August 12th, 2022
- Jewish perspectives on abortion diverse, often oversimplified | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette - August 12th, 2022
- Groundbreaking album breathes new life into nearly abandoned Jewish musical art - Forward - August 12th, 2022
- Synagogue plan rejected in Haverstraw; RLUIPA litigation threat looms - The Journal News - August 12th, 2022
- Mormons are being oppressed and mocked on TV. We're not alone. - Religion News Service - August 8th, 2022
- Lufthansa will create a position to fight antisemitism after kicking more than 100 Hasidic passengers off a flight - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic... - July 31st, 2022
- What sort of Yiddish did Jews in Hungary speak? - Forward - July 31st, 2022
- What the Polio Case in New York Tells Us About the End of Polio - Kaiser Health News - July 31st, 2022
- Rockland County police searching for white Ford F-150 truck in connection to recent attacks on Hasidic Jews - CBS New York - July 19th, 2022
- De Blasio quits crowded race for Congress in heavily Jewish district - Forward - July 19th, 2022
- Jewish group sues Long Island beach town over turning its worship land into a lifeguard center - Washington Times - July 19th, 2022
- Progressives Have Abandoned Haredi Children - Jewish Currents - July 16th, 2022
- At this Yiddish music festival, tradition is everything and nothing J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - July 16th, 2022
- How American Jews (stayed) white | David E. Bernstein | The Blogs - The Times of Israel - July 14th, 2022
- At a Yiddish music festival in bucolic Massachusetts, tradition is everything and nothing - Forward - July 14th, 2022
- This couldnt happen anywhere: How coverage of the shooting failed Highland Park - Forward - July 10th, 2022
- Meet the mind behind the hilarious mashups of Hasidic dance and hip-hop - Forward - July 4th, 2022
- Orthodox women who built businesses, friendships online are being told to sign off - The Times of Israel - July 4th, 2022
- 10 books to add to your reading list in July 2022 - Los Angeles Times - July 4th, 2022
- Hasidic Jewish community creates new town in New York - June 25th, 2022
- Lufthansa apologizes for expelling 'large group' of Hasidic Jews from ... - June 25th, 2022
- Hasidic group selling Wallkill campus where it planned to open school - June 25th, 2022
Comments