A printer's mistake ------

Yechi Adoneynee Tzaddik Doreynee

----- At the expense of these Temimus'dike kids. I mean the idea of making him "Rabbon VaAvihen Shel Yahadus Russia" seems like a טעות הדפוס to me. I can understand that some well-meaning Satmarer chossid saw this as a way of promoting his Rebbe, but did he think about what he was putting him through? Did he not know the SR's shittoh when it came to Kiruv? This "coronation" would be akin to calling the CI Rabbon VeAvihen shel Yahadus Teiman," or the BR Rabbon VeAvihen shel Yotzei Iran." Even that would not be too much, considering their work on behalf of those Jews. From what I understand, it seems like Beer HaGolah, the Mosad that claims to rescue Russian Jewry but has no proof to back up their claim, has apparently placed a Satmarer Chosid at the helm and this is the result. Why do I attack a school that once had Rav Yakov Kamenecki at its helm? Very simple. This has nothing to do with RYK. The fact remains that most of the BH kids go on to public school and leave their Yiddishkeit completely behind, smiling kids pictured here not withstanding. (You might say that if that was NOT the case there would be no need for Nechomas Yisroel, who also "saves Russian Jewry.")


Students of Beer HaGolah schools in Brooklyn

I guess we should be happy that it wasn't one of the present-day Rebbes that they proclaimed as RVSYR. That would be too much to bear. אויב שוין יא זאל זיין די סאטמאר רב, and not anyone else. However, I may still be surprised here after all. Some guy will come along here and tell me stories about how thousands of Russian Jews were helped with money from Satmarer Mosdos, and how the Satmar Bikur Cholim saved hundreds of Russian Jewish lives. How, just like the Sefardishe Satmare Kehillah in Argentina, there are large Jewish Satmarer Kehillos of Russian Jews in Monsey, Monroe and even Williamsburg. How even Beer HaGolah was supported by the SR and his devoted Chassidim by raising millions of dollars clandestinely so that nobody should know that Satmar supports Kiruv. Maybe. OK, fine. That's not the point here. In the future I would tell the one thinking up these signs to stick to the more generic Rabbon Shel Kol Bnei HaGolah, a softer, more accepted title that also has recently lost its meaning and significance due to abuse by some groups. In the interest of full disclosure I would also deem it inappropriate if the Rebbe were dubbed "Raaban Shel Yahadut Sefarad." Despite the Rebbe's efforts and accomplishments, very often more than any other Sefardic Rav.

And then there's the whole MeKabel Shvi'i thing....