Kol HaKovod

One thing the Satmare Yidden know how to do: Parlor meetings and luncheons. Just kidding. What we have here is what you might call Hakoras HaTov. many Satmare Yidden, including the Satmar Rebbe past and present, spend some of their winter vacation time in sunny Palm Springs, California. They spend their days and weeks at the Beis Chabad in Palm Springs, under the leadership of Harav Yonoson Denebeim, enjoying the minyonim there, yet maintaining their lifestyle. Reb Shlomo of Bobov would spend weeks there during the winter, as does the Munkatcher, Pupa, and others. For them Palm Springs is paradise, as it should be; There you can relax, and live your life just like regular people do, with very minor differences. Well, maybe they wouldn't shpatzir with the Rebbetzin like normal people do, and maybe they wouldn't walk the roads wearing white sneakers, but life there is toned down considerably.

Most Rebbes are very makpid to continue the traditions of their forefathers, at least in the vacation minhogim they are. After a month of davenen for the amud and dancing hakafos most Rebbes need a month in Palm Springs or Miami. The latter is maybe too close to home, and there are way too many Jews there, so Palm Springs is a favorite among some of the Rebbes. Rabbi Denebeim gives them all that they need; a shul stocked with seforim, kosher food, and best of all, a yiddishe sevivah where they can sit and tell chassidishe stories to either old rich men or young rich men, without the nosy Brooklyn people sticking their noses in. This is no small feat, and the Hakoras HaTov shows how appreciative they are for all that he does. Most frum gevirim and businessmen I know, who travel to the Far East and other off the beaten path places, and who have their Judaism provided for by the Chabad Shliach are very proud of their guys, and they usually show the proper recognition and appreciation.

in case you ask why it takes a few non-Lubavitcher rich ones to support a Chabad shliach, and where is the help from his brothers, and what a disgrace it is that he can't get help from within his own community, remember this: There are thousands of Chabad shluchim that run institutions, and for most Lubavitchers he'd be just another shliach. For the yid who for the most part his Tzedokoh consists of Hachnosas Kallah and Yeshivos, this is unique, and he's excited to give to a cause that he doesn't usually give to. Try it yourself and you'll see how right I am in this regard. The same goes for the opposite; if a shliach comes to one of the few gevirim that Lubavitch has, and asks for a donation, he might get a few dollars, but the excitement just isn;t there for him, he has hundreds of these, like Boro Parkers have Yerushalayimer asking for Hachnosas Kallah. Ask him to give to unique Tzvek and he'll give as well.

Mi KeAmcho Yisroel!