פארשידענע מונקאטשע בילדער

נתקבל דרך הבלי"ץ-פאס"ט

Government Intervention for Chassidic squabbles

Hirshel:

First, let me say how happy I am that you're kind of back to doing what you do best.

The most recent עלי זכרון has a good piece. If you don't see it regularly you should. They take pieces from the old Hungarian newspapers and translate it. Here they have a news clip that the Munkach/Belz rift was so harsh that even the government could not take it anymore. Looks like it's from the  Zsidó Újság = Jewish Newspaper. They coordinated a peace summit in the city of טשאפ between both sides. The government criticized the holy Munkacher Rov (could be a Belzer drelnak is behind the report?) It seems that afterwards there was peace in the land.  Some 2 months later RYD of Belz passed away and Reb Ahrele Belzer took over. Things were a bit different with him. But it seems nobody can take much credit and receive the Rabbi Sruel Hager Peace Prize, since it was government enforced. This is an important piece of info.

!ערעב ציג! ס'נישט קיין איינע פון די מונקאטשער רביצינ'ס

A reader was quite upset with the post that "accused" the Munkatcher Rebbetzin of accompanying the Rov on a walk whilst on דאטשע. מ'קאן שוין מיינען, ווער ווייס וואס... According to him it was NOT the Rebbetzin, or his mother, the דרכי תשובה'ס Rebbetzin, and he provided the pictures to prove it. He says it was the wife of Reb Mordche Wulliger, later of New York. That she only looked old because of her frum style of dress. Maybe he just wants to set the record straight. Maybe he's a stickler for the truth, and isn't so bothered by the idea of the Rebbetzin walking nearby.

In any case...

Here's the Rebbetzin Ruchel Perel, daughter of Reb Yakov Moshe of Komarna (center, with the "shteren tichel") at the wedding in Munktach in 1933

Here's Esther, born Horowitz, the Darkei Tshuvah's Rebbetzin. She was a granddaughter of Reb Yankele Melitzer. 

א שפאציער אויף דאטשע מיט'ן רביצין

Hirshel: what we have here is a rare and telling photo. The holy Munkatcher Ruv, who used his pulpit to rebuke and flick anyone whom he accused of not leading his life according to his "אבותינו ורבותינו הקדושים " is seen in this photo walking with 3 men, and to his left is the holy Rebbetzin, daughter of the holy Komarner,  and a not so holy friend,  in one of the resort regions. No Poylishe Rebbe would be caught in such a setting, walking with his wife. No sir. I'm not saying there's anything wrong; I'm just bringing this to light. Years ago I heard that that the holy Munkatcher once saw from his window an Oyberlander Rov strolling the Munkatch street with his Rebbetzin. At 12 o'clock  noon he took out his golden watch from his vest pocket and told his lovely wife:  I must go and say tikun chatzos. This was during the three weeks, you see, and the Oyberlender Yidden have such a custom. [I guess saying it at midNIGHT is too difficult and disrupts their schedule?] The holy Ruv is said to have screamed from his widow: ס'האט גארנישט פאסירט, you can keep on strolling! As if to say, if you walk with your wife on the street G-d doesn't need your Tikkun Chatzos. We see that approach today with many people - like if you wear a long sheitel G-d doesn't want you to daven.

We once wrote something like that, way back in תשס"ח. עיי"ש

Thursday Pictures

did they converse in Yiddish?

Take a look at this picture: We see the Munkatcher Rov standing here כשושנה בין החוחים, talking to what seems like Government officials. The year is 1935. Actually it's President Edvard Benes. I assume they conversed in either Czech, Slovak or Hungarian. Or maybe German. Where are all the handlers? the Askoonim? The hoyz bochurim. The Gabboyim? Nowhere to be found. The Roov was all by himself. Did his own talking. No middlemen to interfere or to "explain" what the Rov is saying. Today every 2 bit politician that's running for city council or assembly comes to the Rabbonim and Rebbes and the room is full. The American-born Rebbe'le plays dumb,, or puts on a heavy accent, and some guy in cufflinks and a rolled up beard 'splains to the the Rebbe/Roov what the man is saying.

חדש ימינו כקדם

....ס'איז אמאל געווען גוטע טעג

לייענט ווייטער

POTD - Munkatcher Rebbe, שליט"א, consoling a distraught אלמן

Source

More Photos of the לויה

The Munkatcher Rebbe, שליט"א, has a fine sense of, um, humor

Received via e-mail:

Frankfurter edicated the Sukkos issue of Ami magazine to Reb Burechel Munkatcher. The son Reb Moshe Leib opened himself up as never before, saying that is father was a hero, just as much as Reb Michoel Ber Weissmandl, except he wasn't recognized. He claims his father was not dumped by Munkacher Chasidim after the war, he just was not ready to be stuck with a local chasidus -  Klal yisroel and its  problems were his life now.  It's a very interesting piece. Reb Burechel busied himself finding a answer for the Shoah. Reb Moshe lieb is saying that 2 rebbes were trying to answer the Shoah  The Satmar Rebbe and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.   I don't know which Lubavitcher Rebbe, maybe the Rebbe Rayatz in הקריאה והקדושה.   Reb Burechel was arguing that it's dangerous not to get a answer. It can happen again. היל"ת. The Shoah was a message; if we didn't get the message this time it'll happen again. ר"ל. Reb Moshe Leib is saying that Reb Shmuel Duved Ungar zt"l, the Nitra Ruv, wrote a letter to his father with the title "צדיק יסוד עולם." At the time Reb Burechel was 30 years old. The Munkatcher asked Reb Shmuel Duved's son, Reb shulem moshe, why did his father use such lofty titles when addressing him? He answered: Noach is called tzadik for saving Gentiles,  your father saved thousands of Jews, that's a whole universe. The letter is printed in a pamphlet that Reb Burechel printed for his candidacy for the Tel Aviv Rabbinate. 

So, by "sense of humor" I mean that he doesn't take himself seriously enough. He can do such an interview and not worry about what the world will say. I was as surprised as the next guy when I saw the article. I guess anybody can be rehabilitated these days. מה שלא יעשה השכל יעשה הזמן, as the saying goes. The problem is that - no disrespect intended - the Munkatcher was the one who had a yad in ostracizing his father... Not so the much the Dinover. To be fair the old timers made sure they were fed lies about their father. So it's not that Ami just discovered Reb Burechel and went looking for his next of kin. If you get what I'm saying. Also, Frankfurter most likely, and I'm being very generous here, knows what went on when he was a kid, he knows what they did in Munkatch, he's not someone who grew up outside that circle... They're basically enabling this revision of history that every kid in Boro Park knew about. At least twice a year on Shabbos morning we'd hear that he passed away, and then we'd laugh/cry about the history and how Munkatch skipped a generation. So why now? Beats me. Maybe they've been reading stories and testimony online. Maybe his grandkids asked too many questions? Agav, I like how every picture featured in the article was previously on this blog. Not saying anything, just saying.

  Munkatch Ami mag Sukkos 5776

שיחת חולין של ת"ח... מונקאטש וסאטמאר

Received via e-mail:
There is a famous saying that the difference between the Munkatcher Rov and the Sakmer Ruv was the gabbai. Yes, the gabbai. That Chaim Ber, the Munkatcher Gabbai, ran to the mailbox as soon as the Munkatcher Rov finished writing it, and ran to the printer as soon the Sefer was done. But Yossel Ashkenazi, the Satmar Gabbai, was not so quick. He always made sure there was a night in between finishing and sending or printing. That maybe the SR  will change his mind, as was often the case, especially when things were written in haste or in response to a hot topic. Reb Velvel Guttman, a big Makever chusid, the publisher of Munkatcher seforim, visited Reb Hersh Mielech Sanzer/Klauzenburger when the latter was in New York recently.  He had a story that shows that the Munkatcher was behind the rapid publishing of letters and seforim, while knowing full well that his close chasidim think that some of it has to be censored . It was not Chaim Ber it was the Ruv.  A chovev seforim told me that the sefer חיים ושלום עה"ת is the wildest Sefer with the most "sharfe leshonos."  The rebbetzin was a very sharfe chusid and she didn't let anybody touch it ... So all the "wild" stuff stayed in there.

רבי ברוכ'ל קריגט נישט קיין הרה"צ, און אויך נישט קיין זצ"ל אדער זי"ע

זעהט דף ב' ביי די סדר הדורות

  18_KISLEIV

האדמו"ר ברוכי

The question is: can he - young ברוכי - lay claim to the throne, since his zeide's claim to the throne of Munkacs was only since he was married to the daughter of the Munkatcher. Once he married his second wife do the descendants of wife 2 still have some sort of claim? Or do they need to suffice with the Pshischa/Biala/Partziva dynasty? Maybe Dayan Rosenberg of recent Bobover din Torah fame can answer that... But in any case it's nice to see a young ד"לי kid being educated about his ancestors, and not just about RAYHK etc. And it seems like he enjoys playing ball and washing dishes more than being a Rebbe, as any kid would. Nice pics and videos of Reb Burech'l here. May we hear good news about ברוך יהושע ירחמיאל ראבינאוויטש the second.

מונקאטשער רבי און זיין הויף

I take no responsibility for the content of this article. It wasn't written by someone who would write for Der Yid or Der Blatt today... But what I can tell you is, if you do read this read the last page where they discuss the Munkatcher Rov's son-in-law and successor, the late Reb Burechel Rabinovitch of Munkatch. Those of you know the history may not be surprised about what you read, but for the novices among you it may come as an eye-opener.

מונקאטשער רבי און זיין הויף

Early Shabbos in and Ivrit in Munkatch...

Received via e-mail:

For some reason by Chasidim they have a sensitivity against early Shabbos, maybe its too ba'al batish. ( I don't necessarily agree with that line; there are Halachic issues - HR) In the attachment I have a story of a chossid who explained the benefits of early Shabbos, how pragmatic it is, and the Gerrer Rebbe approved it! He was always on the pragmatic side; as one Rov who asks to remain nameless eloquently put it, if not for his (The Gerrer Rebbe's - HT) beard with the Kultenes and his banged up hat, they would make him in to a reformer.. the levush saved the day. In the other attachment you see the back of the Matzieva of the Darkei Tshuva's mother, look at the way they call her Savta Kadisha.. I always knew Savta to be be modern Hebrew... even in Munkatch the קליפה had a grip...

a letter from the "אם הבנים שמחה" to the Munkatcher Rov defending "extravagances" of Rebbishe weddings...

A reader writes:

These pages are from sefer תל תלפיות printed in 5766/2006 at the occasion of the בר מצוה of the Munkatcher Rebbe's אייניקל. Rabbi Teichtel's excuse for the Munkatcher Rov making a big wedding could serve as an answer for the Belzer/Gorlitz/Dezh/Teichtel wedding, where Rabbi Teichtel's daughter is now a grandmother. [The mechutan's shver was the Gorlitzer Rebbe in Bnei Brak - hence, Gorlitz, and he is a grandson of a brother of the patriarch of the Dezher lineage, the מראה יחזקאל. - I would think that comparatively - based on what people had and didn't have in those Great Depression days - it was alot more extravagant than the Belzer wedding. - HT] I heard that by the בדחנות of the מצוה טאנץ they called the באבע the "אם הבנים שמחה" of this שמחה, that this is the זכות אבות. I guess that even בעלזא can not go official with the holy משנה שכיר... So back to the letter, the holy משנה שכיר couldn't come to the wedding, he had to watch the שוחטים, - which is a lesson in and of itself - so he flatters the holy רבי with the newspaper reports and gives him his 2 cents of what he answered the critics of the extravaganza mega חתונה. It seems the משנה שכיר was under the spell of his great Rebbe, who was the big גאון and בעל מקובל, which was obviously the reason why he didn't question his Rebbe's anti-Zionist/Agudah/Mizrach עסקנות, which was basically a קול קורא במדבר in that region and in that era. I'm not saying he was a Zionist, just saying that knocking Zionism wasn't accomplishing much.

See clip of the Munkatcher wedding at USHMM site

...ויתנהו למעלה למעלה

  Tiferes Lebunim - Special Gilyoin

If you haven't much time you can go straight to page 9...

  Box.com link

Mishpacha shows some flashes of greatness...

We had very high hopes for Mishpacha magazine when it first appeared on the newsstands, but we then realized that the masses still make up the majority, and they need to be catered to, not to mention that they get very nervous when any magazine tries to educate them in new ways... So, for the most part, save for an article here and there about Lubavitch or Rabbi Hershel Schachter, The Yeshivisher Oylem's two pet peeves, Mishpacha takes the road most traveled. And that's a good thing! I have young children who read it every week, may they live and be well, בלע"ה, and I need them to at least start off rock-solid! But this here article is good! It asks the questions about the city of מונקאטש that need to be asked, and gives honest answers, all the while giving good historical background to the famous film we've seen many times by now.

In case you have not, here's the You Tube Link to the film As well as a link that will be allowed by your filter...
Munkacs, 1933

See Article Here