Don't Read In Too Much in the Words of KJ-Satmar Rebbe

The world is shocked and angered by the comments of R' Aron Teitelbalum, the KJ-Satmar Rebbe, blaming the parents of the three murdered bucherim in their killing. "These parents are guilty. They caused the deaths of their sons," the Rebbe said, according to translated quoted on VIN News. Whoever knows the Rebbe closely, though, knows not to read in too much into it.

His words shouldn't be taken seriously, as thought-through comments by a leader, because they are not! Not even should it be viewed as casual talk by a grown-up! And in no-way is this reflective of the the teachings and attitude of the holy Rebbe R' Yoel Zt"l.

Whoever knows the KJ-Satmar Rebbe and follows him, knows that he's prone to insensitive talk. He's having a habit of knocking down anyone and everyone, and is mostly fond of doing it to his closest followers. In talks with other Rebbes, he would raise their weaknesses. For example, if he'd know that a particular Rebbe is struggling to keep his Yeshiva open due to dismal enrollments, he'd ask him: "how many boys do you have in your Yeshiva?"

Here is a story that I heard first hand: One his close followers came to pay a Shiva call to the KJ-Satmar Rebbe when he mourned his father. That person had a newly-wed daughter recently separated from her husband. As everyone familiar with the heimishe community knows, such issues aren't discussed publicly, especially in the first period when every attempt is made to bring the couple to reunite. R' Aron barely looked on the line that passed him to relay their condolences, but when that person passed he stopped the line: "How is your daughter?" he exclaimed in a loud, happy voice. "Will they reunite?" I don't have to explain how that person felt. (He is still acting as a chosid the KJ-Satmar Rebbe, to maintain his position within the Hasidus and because his whole family belongs there).

There are numerous such stories. For instance, a guy did a shidduch with at Bucher of his KJ Yeshiva, a red-head who happened to stutter. Accompanied by the Kallah, he stopped by R' Aron to get his Mazel Tov blessings. R' Aron inquired who the Chosson is, and than asked, "who, the one who stutters with the red hair?" That person struggled for weeks to calm down his daughter not to cancel the Shidduch because of this embarrassment.

R' Aron's tendency to belittle and knock down everyone, and trying to portray himself as holier and better than everyone, didn't even spare his uncle, R' Yoel Zt"l, the revered founder of the Satmar dynasty.

When he proclaimed that he invented kosher wheat for Matzos from Yuma, Arizona, he repeated several times that the wheat used for decades were very problematic. He said that the Rabbis before him, including his uncle, "pulled out a heter from the pocket," meaning that their wheat was not really kosher, but they decided to declare it Kosher. At the first time, it struck Satmar followers like a bomb, but they quickly got used to it, and realized that he shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Likewise, when he decided to embark on an own KJ Shchitah, he started to bad-mouth the old Shcitah, going as far as implying that the Shechita under the auspices of R' Yoel Zt"l, and under the personal certification of his father, was Treifa. Satmar Hasidim were shocked, but learned to shrug what he said.

His foot in mouth disease was the main trigger to numerous civil wars that broke out during the years between Satmar and some of its closest allies, and within Satmar it-self. Of those who he went to war with, were: Kasho - a patriarchal Rabbi, respected across the board, labeled by R' Aron as "der alter from Bedford Hills" (the old one from Bedford Hills); Viznitz-Monsey (who happens to be his uncle by marriage), whom he attacked with similar epithets; Montivedeo; and more.

His father, the Beirach Moshe Zt"l, for years played a balancing game. Publicly he tried to defend him, like every loving father would do his son, but privately he took him to task for his bad manners, hoping that by the time he will succeed him, he will learn to behave. When he became older, and realized that R' Aron's bad midos only become worse, he decided to appoint a younger son to succeed him, R' Zalmen. It was a hard decision - parents are reluctant to realize that a kid that they nurtured and taught all life is a total failure - but the Beirach Moshe cared for his Chasidim and Chasidus, and thanks go-d he made that hard choice.

Episodes like this are the precise reason why a majority of Satmar loathed R' Aron and instantly switched to R' Zalme's camp.

Those remaining loyal to him, are using numerous coping techniques. His inner circle installed a Gabbai who is trying to keep a lid on his mouth. Chaim Shlomo Fisher hardly leaves his side, and often interjects when conversations start to turn sour. It is to Fisher's credit, that R' Aron improved his image to the outside world in recent years.

Nowadays, people know that the worst comments are coming out when he's on vacation and Chaim Shlomo is not on guard. Still, sometimes R' Aron overcomes his Gabbai, and strikes out of the blue, and his Hasidim find themselves egg-faced. When these stupid, evil remarks are leaking out to the world, some of his fervent Hasidim try to defend them and create a whole shita around them, but others try to ignore them, or talk them away as a gaffe, slip of the tongue etc.

Why is he behaving so:

Is it because his brutal personality, that also expressed itself in the terror that numerous KJ and Williamsburg residents suffered back in the days when he was at the reigns - slashed tires, smashed windows, physical attacks on anyone who dared to say doubt his directive, was the norm?

Is it because he suffers from Aspereger syndrome - something that was discussed in length in a Yiddish essay of hundreds of pages, peppered with numerous of anecdotes as the ones above, that became the best known writing in the community for years?

Is it a result of his craving for attention, that makes him say provocative things, so people should talk of him - good or bad is besides the points?

Is it because he suffers of Border Personality Disorder, a condition that cause people to knock others down and thrive from nakedly stabbing others by discussing their short-comings in their face and enjoying their sufferings?

It is probably a combination of all of the above, because one alone won't explain his behavior. 

One thing is certain, his words are not thought-through philosophy. They are not principled manifestos. His ugly character that struck, hurt and caused havoc to numerous Mittelman's, Winbergers, Berkowtizs etc, met yesterday the Shaers, Fraenkels and Yifrahs. I hope that as most Satmars, these families don't take them seriously.

Let me add: in no way is this reflecting the teaching of R' Yoel Zt"l. He never blamed or belittled a bereaved family, not because it's politically incorrect, but because he felt their pain and never faulted an individual, certainty not in such a situation. After the sixth day war, he literally cried for the casualties of the war, for example.

To sum it all up: please don't take these comments seriously. They are contrary to the teachings and Ahavas Yisroel of R' Yoel Zt"l; They don't reflect the thoughts of Satmar Hasidim; And they don't even reflect the philosophy of the speaker. They are just a manifestation of a number of ugly conditions that they world comes now to see in him, but we know already for decades.