BOOK REVIEW - "THE REBBE" (part II)

Part I Here

I find it odd that the Rebbe who opposed all sorts of undocumented Mayses about Rebbeim (even about the BESH"T and his students) related his own rescue to a supposed dream that happened to a Zionist leader who was not even an Orthodox Jew! The author attempts to obfuscate this fact by writing that Mrs. Fischer wore a sheitel and that they were related to the late Rosh beth Din of the Eda HaCh'redis in Jerusalem R. Yaakov Y. Fisher. (whose father himself served a "Status-Quo" Kehillo) Of course this does not change the hard facts on the ground that the Rebbe, his wife, daughter and son in law, and gabbe Reb Yosef Ashkenazi were rescued by the Zionist leaders in Hungary. (I'm informed that the daughter and son-in-law were NOT on the Sondertransport. - HT) I must admit that I found this book very interesting, enough so that I read it from cover to cover twice. Yet what it lacks is any tone of objectivity. Compared to this ArtScroll works are honest treatments of their subject matter.

Rabbi Meisels discusses the Rebbe's rabbinic career in Rumania and Hungary prior to the War. We do learn that he was Rav in Orshiva, Krole and finally in the large community of Satmar. We learn that he was both Rav and Rebbe. Yet his status as leader of the Sighet dynasty after his brother's death ( The "Atzei Chaim" of Sighet - HT) is left a tad cloudy. But what the author fails to mention is that in most places RJT lived in major disputes broke out. After deciding to leave Krole for Satmar a massive machlokes broke out between 2 rival rabbinic candidates, one a cousin of the Rebbe, another a son in law of the Spinker Rebbe, (Reb Abish Horowitz, HY"D, father of Reb Hershelle Spinker - HT) who was the leader of the 3rd largest Chasidic grouping in Hungary-Rumania. This was a violent struggle which has been documented and involved many other Rabbis. RJT first arrived in Satmar in 1934, years after he was supposedly elected as chief rabbi of this large mainly Ashkenazi community. Here too there were any number of serious opponents to his rabbinate grouped about the Tashnader Rav, and it was only after several years of violent struggle that he finally was able to assume the rabbinate there.

In Satmar itself the Rebbe was invovled in wars against rival chassidic dynasties. For example he demanded that the Zaddik Rav Aren Roth leave Satmar as he was opposed to his derech. R. Roth relocated to Beregsaz. I must note that today we identify the Toldos Aron Chassidic communtiy with Satmar , but that only came about because Rav Arele was followed by his son-in-law Reb Abraham Itzhak Kohn who was a disciple of RJT. It was only Rabbi Kohn who emphasized anti Zionism in this community. It is clear that RJT embarked on a path to acheive hegemony over the rabbinic community in Northern Transylvania, inserting relatives in many key rabbinic slots such as the appointment of his nephew in law Rav YY Halberstam as Rav of the new Chasidic community in the large city of Klausenberg. Althought he book does not discuss it, it seems that following the death of the Munkatcher Rav in the late 1930's RJT became the dominant local Chasidic Rebbe in Hungary. Of course men like the Belzer Rav exerted much influence from their seats in Poland over the Hungarian Chasidic community as well.

The book also presents misleading information about the attitudes of various gedolim to the policies of RJT. While the volume discusses the Satmar demonstrations in NYC in the early 1950's it fails to note that these demonstratons were attacked by among others Rabbi Eliezer Silver (who called for the Cherem on RJT) the President of the Agudath Ho-Rabbonim and Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin the head of Ezrath Torah and the posek for most of American Jewry. Even Rav Aaron Kolter was upset by the tone of some of these public demonstrations. Both were livid and outraged by the Satmar tactics and neither was ever identified with Zionism themselves. This chapter in Satmar history receives a more objective treatment in a small Yiddish book written DER REBBE UND DER SATAN by the late Chaim Lieberman (not to be confused with the secretary of the Rayatz).On page 508-509 we are presented with evidence "ke'illu" Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky was so influenced by RJT's books that he changed his mind after reading them. . Well as far as I can recall Reb Yankev remained a member of the Agudas Israel his whole life and was a member of it's Council of Torah sages. Even more so we are told in a obituary for the same Mr. Lieberman that Reb Yankev considered him one of Americ's most erliche yidden! Clearly Rav Yaakov knew about Lieberman's works.

Even more outrageous is a depiction on page 506 about the attitude of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik to RJT. Its states " You must know that since the Satmar Rebbe came to America every Jew has become more religious, myself included" It takes real chutzpah to write this. The footnote for this note is self referential no source less than Rabbi Dovid Meisels. Now that is truly unusual an author using himself as a source! As far as I can tell the Rav was religious prior to the coming of RJT, and that men like his father, uncle, and grandfather were more profound influences of his religious personality than a Rebbe he probably never met. I doubt the Rav ever mentions the Rebbe or even the Yetev Lev or Yismach Moshe. On page 508 we are treated to a story that the Skulener Rebbe, Rabbi Eliezer Zishe Portugal went blind because he disregarded the position of RJT about praying at the Kossel Maaravi. Can anyone believe that Hashem would do such a thing to such a tzaddik for such an action? It boggles the mind especially in regards the posotion of RJT to mofsim by Rebbes in our day.


On page 268 the author treats us to a new unfounded accusation that the leader of the Palestinian Aguda Rabbi Moshe Blau was poisoned. Again, if the author has evidence he ought to present it in detail, but I doubt the Chofetz Chaim would approve of such unfounded charges. On pages 462-464 the author discusses RJT's position as to the formal education of Jewish girls in regards Jewish studies In Europe the Rebbe was strictly opposed to such, yet in the US he opened up his own girl's school. The author writes "It was not a change of position but a change of situation." The sub headings in this chapter include such titles as "changing times" and " The New Reality." This is all very interesting, as the Rebbe used this sort of thinking to justify girls' schools and drop his opposition to sheitlech. Yet when it came to Israel and Zionism he failed to see that after 1945 times had changed and there was a new reality. 6 million Jews had been killed, The thousand-year Jewish civilization in Europe was destroyed. Close to 1 million homeless Jews were stranded in Eastern Europe. Yet the Rebbe did not see the change of situation and insisted on no change of position. One wonders what the Rebbe's position was as to regarsd the future of the close to half million Hungarain-Rumanian survivors in 1945. Where were they supposed to renew their lives in Communist Rumania? in Chile? in Denmark? or were they supposed to smuggle themselves into Meah Shearim despite British White papers? Let me note that America had strict quotas concerning the number of DP Jews admitted from Eastern Europe right after the war, and in fact hundreds of thousands of survviors from Northern Rumania made their way to Israel from 1950-1965, and many resumed their Orthodox lifestyle.

I must note that while the Kluizenberger Rav and others were actually in the DP camps trying to revive Jewish life, The Rebbe left Israel to the US, (and made - HT) no stop in the DP camps. Among the Rabbinic figures who visited the DP camps were Chief Rabbi Herzog, Rav Eliezer Silver, Kriniker Rav Rabbi Mishikovsky, Rabbi Pinchos Wohlgelernter and last but not least the shliach meyuchad of the Rebbe Rayatz, his son in law Rabbi S. Gourary. Although Rav M. Schneerson was in Paris after the war on a private matter, he too used the opportunity to address the survivors of the Lubavitch community then stranded in France. Without doubt the (Satmar - HT) Rebbe was a great Jewish leader and he played a major role - if not the dominant role - in transplanting Eastern European Jewish life to the US. He stressed the need to retain the clothing, the food , the language and the complete east European Jewish personality. In this manner he set the gold standard, by which other Chasidic and ultra- Orthodox groups viewed their own identities. And yes, he accomplished much and did influence the religious attitudes of many American Jews. Yet his opposition to the new reality of the State of Israel, to the fact that its creation and existence was an endless succession of miracles and that as emphasized by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Israel was a makom miklat for millions of Jews; and their safety could not be placed in danger by demonstrations, newspaper ads and prayers for a so called peaceful end to Israel. (how so by a mass emigration to Monroe or Antwerp?).

After years of following the career of RJT and reading much by him and about him , I sense that RJT's chief interest was the transmission of Eastern European Jewish life and the only manner he thought he could do this is by being completely negative about Israel. Thus he adopted a hard line against Hebrew, and this did in fact enable 3 Yiddish weeklies to thrive in New York. He was against Israel, hence his followers lived in the golah where diaspora type Jewish culture had more of a chance. This book deserves to be read, as it depicts one of the most important Jewish religious personalities of the 20th centuries. But it must be read in conjunction with other volumes giving a more multi dimensional portrait of RJT as well as a more objective treatment of the manner gedolim viewed Zionism and Israel after the Holocaust.