The father fought Satmar, the son collaborates: The meeting that surprised the Hasidic world | Shlomo Shamir

Before the outbreak of World War II, the head of the Satmar community, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum (of blessed memory), visited Gur and entered into a conversation with the Tzaddik, the Admor of Gur, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai (of blessed memory of the righteous and holy).

When he left the conversation, the "Imrei Emet" said: "I do not want to talk to him anymore." After the war, the leader of Satmar visited Jerusalem and paid a visit to the Admor of Gur. During the entire conversation, the Tzaddik of Gur sat with his head bowed and did not speak a word. It was clear and evident that the "Imrei Emet" was keeping to what he had said a few years earlier: "I do not want to talk to him."

This is not the only story that expresses the fact that the Gur Hasidic dynasty was the most staunch opponent of the Satmar community. The vast majority of the heads and leaders of Hasidic courts in Israel and the diaspora opposed and oppose Satmar, and have been careful to publicly reveal their distance from Satmar.

The reason for the defiant alienation against Satmar on the part of the Admorim of the Hasidic courts, including a large and influential Hasidic court like Belz, is simple. Satmar is a community whose existence is expressed in the dissemination of hatred, incitement, boycotts, and expressions of contempt and dismissal towards Admorim and Hasidic courts that strictly observe the principles of Hasidic teaching, which are love of the Jew, joy, closeness, and reconciliation.

The opposition, the unrestrained hatred that Satmar reveals, spreads, and strengthens against the State of Israel, is the reason why the Gur Hasidic dynasty is so opposed to, rejects, and alienates itself from Satmar.

Gur's historical line against Satmar

The Gur Hasidic dynasty is fundamentally and strictly opposed to Zionism. But the Gur Hasidic dynasty is the only one among the Hasidic courts that expressed this opposition positively, in a practical sense — more precisely, in a Zionist way.

The Tzaddik, the Admor "Imrei Emet," visited Eretz Yisrael in the 20s and 30s of the last century five times. Following his first visit to Eretz Yisrael in 1921, he wrote and published his famous "Letter from the Ship." The letter is a unique historical Zionist document. The head and leader of a large Hasidic court writes, instructs, and recommends his Hasidim to immigrate to Eretz Yisrael, invest money in it, and purchase real estate. No Zionist leader has written such an enthusiastic Zionist document.

This letter is the foundation, the conceptual and practical basis for the fact that hundreds of Gur Hasidim did indeed immigrate to Israel in the years before World War II. (Full disclosure: my father, of blessed memory, who was a Gur Hasid, did indeed immigrate to Israel with his family in the early 30s and settled in Tel Aviv).

It is a fact that the Gur Hasidic dynasty is the largest in Israel. In Tel Aviv, there were 13 houses of prayer, shtieblach of Gur Hasidim.

The Gur Hasidic dynasty was also and is the large, active, and influential part of Agudat Yisrael. In the first government established by David Ben-Gurion, the Admor's son-in-law, Rabbi Yitzhak Meir Levin (of blessed memory of the righteous), who was the leader of Agudat Yisrael, served as Minister of Welfare and maintained relations with secular ministers and party leaders.

Agudat Yisrael maintained its opposition to Zionism. Until the union with "Degel HaTorah" and the establishment of Yahadut HaTorah, Agudat Yisrael expressed this opposition in a positive, conciliatory manner, devoid of and free from expressions of hostility.

The Rebbe of Gur, the Tzaddik Rabbi Simcha Bunim (of blessed memory of the righteous), known by the name of his book "Lev Simcha," was known in his time as a staunch opponent of Satmar. During one of his visits to New York, he stayed at the home of a Gur Hasid. The Rebbe approached the bookcase in the apartment and saw the book of the head of the Satmar community, Rabbi Yoel, "Al HaGeulah VeAl HaTemurah." The Rebbe of Gur called the owner of the apartment, his host, and scolded him: "One does not keep such a book in the house."

What I find very difficult to understand is how it is that the son of the author of "Lev Simcha," the current Admor of Gur, Rabbi Yaakov Alter (may he live long), holds meetings, conversations, and cooperation with one of the senior activists of the Satmar community. I cannot grasp this. It is possible to understand that the Admor of Gur, like other Admorim in Israel, is strongly opposed to the draft law. But for what purpose, for what need does the Rebbe need and require help from a millionaire, a senior official in the Satmar community? A community and sect that his righteous father so strongly opposed and condemned?