Satmar, Neturei Karta, Jewish Anti-Zionism

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A thread for resources on Jewish anti-Zionism.

The Roots of Satmar

By CHAIM SHNEIDER,HasidicNews.com Writer

Satmar is named after a Hungarian town, whereby a thriving Jewish community existed before WWII. Satmar, like most Jewish towns in eastern Europe had several communities. It had a central, official, Orthodox synagogue, a reformed synagogue and a Hasidic synagogue. In the 1920's the reform population was dwindling while the Orthodox and Hasidic populations were growing. In 1929, the Rav of the Orthodox community in Satmar passed away. Some in the community, bent towards the increasingly popular Hasidic style and a strong leader, consented or even preferred to appoint a Hasidic rabbi. When Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum (then Rav in Krooly) was invited for a Shabbas to Satmar, he demonstrated exceptional scholastic achievement and talmudic knowledge, somewhat different than the prevailing image of a Hasid as being more spiritual and less Scholastic. Those in the community who liked him, liked him even more, and his followership grew after several invitations. When it came down to a vote, the then-Krooly Rav won by a narrow margin. This was definitely a promotion, as the Satmar community was larger, more modern and wealthier. In the beginning, some in the community were very suspicious of having a Hasidic Rav, but the new Rav was very keen in dealing with those people in a very subtle and accommodating way, as he strategically won their hearts over.
The community prospered under his leadership. Students started coming from all neighboring towns to the Satmar yeshiva and later from all over Hungary. In the years immediately preceding the war, Satmar was considered one of the greatest Orthodox Jewish centers in Hungary. Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum would hold long, sophisticated lectures on Talmudic subjects, inspiring and bewildering everyone. Everyone in his congregation was proud of him and admired him greatly. When the war was spreading, and the Jews in Hungary were being rounded up in to concentration camps by the Nazis, the rav's people arranged for him to leave the city in middle of the night clandestinely in an ambulance, for the Nazis first order of business in any town was arresting the local Rav. There was a problem with the destination address. It wasn't very clear for the Rav and his companions what the address was or where to find it and there was no one to ask in middle of the night. The ambulance driver became increasingly nervous, as he was to return the ambulance by morning, in order not to raise any suspicion. The Rav was dropped on the street in the town of Klozenberg, and was soon afterwards arrested. He was released after his people found out where he was, and pleaded and bribed the local authorities.
It became clear to the rav's friends and followers the urgency of finding a permanent escape and safe haven for the Rav. A Zionist organization had managed to arrange with the Nazis to allow about 1400 of their people to leave for neutral Switzerland, in return for a heavy ransom. The rav's people managed to include the Rav and his wife in that transport list. The Zionists ended up not paying the full amount of money promised to the Nazis, and the Nazis ordered the train stopped at the border. The Zionists bribed the guards to record their arrival several minutes earlier, so as to render the last-minute retraction too late. On the twenty first of Kislev (Hebrew month) the Rav crossed the border, being the only Hasidic Rav in that entire group, and was relatively safe in Switzerland. He stayed in camps for several months until the war was over, during which time it is said that he kept Kashrus fully despite the challenge and difficulty.
In 1946 the Rav left for Israel, where he stayed with his sun-in-law for about a year. Life was extremely difficult for the shattered poor community who had nothing left. There wasn't a single family that wasn't affected by the Holocaust. Allot of people were questioning the effectiveness of worshipping God and keeping the Torah after all that god allowed to happen for his chosen people. The Rav was very distressed about all this and took it upon himself to rebuild the community. Eventually, the Rav left for a visit to the US to raise money for one of his campaigns. He met allot of people from his former community in the US, as well as others from all over Hungary. They urged him to stay and help rebuild the community and comfort their wounds. The Rav eventually acquiesced to stay.
The rav's decision to stay marked the beginning of the modern Satmar dynasty. During the first few Shabattim, he was staying in Williamsburg - Brooklyn without even his own Shul. After a few months a small but close-knit group of former community members and friends gathered around him and founded newly replanted "Yetev Lev" Satmar congregation in 1947. The congregation immediately elected him as rav and granted him broad powers. The congregation was growing rapidly as more people from Hungary arrived to the US and settled in Williamsburg. They quickly outgrew the premises and had to move to accommodate the crowd. In 1948 the rav drew worldwide Jewish attention when he was the only prominent Jewish figure to categorically renounce the newly founded Jewish state. He would sob tremendously on Shabbas "Shallosh Seeudos" gatherings about the harm that the Jewish state causes and about how sinful it is for Jews to establish their own power prior to the arrival of "Mashiach" to redeem them.
His resolve and sincerity about this issue impressed people in his congregation who would have otherwise been cheering for Israel. They remained neutral and accepted all the blame and embarrassment the Satmar community experienced in those days.
After those early years, the immigration wave surged once again in the 1960's. The Satmar rav was by then already considered a leading figure in the US Orthodox Jewish community. People were coming to seek his advice and blessing from all over the globe. One congregation in Williamsburg quickly branched out into tens of congregations in Williamsburg and various parts in Brooklyn as well as nationwide and abroad. By the 1960's, the Satmar community was easily the largest Hasidic community in the US. Hasidim from sects whose Rabbi's had passed away in the course of WWII were converting to Satmar en masse.
1967 marked the Israeli-Arab "six day war", during which the Israelis won a landslide victory. The Satmar rav again found himself being the only person lamenting Israel's victory instead of celebrating it. It bothered him very much to see people, even from his own community, subconsciously celebrating the Israeli victory. He would thunder and scream during his famous "Shallosh Seeudos" sermon's. At one point he ordered that no one who believes in the Zionist cause should ever step through the Shul's door again. This issue seemingly damaged his health, as he experienced a severe heart attack a year later. He never fully recovered from his illness. Never again would anyone hear those thunderous sermons. It was a thing of the past. Eventually he did resume "Shallosh Seeudos" sermons but it wasn't quite like the good old days.
In the early 70's, the rav bought some land in Monroe, NY and founded the first Satmar town in the US. It was named after the rav "Joel's town" or "Kiryat Joel". By 1979, Satmar was a very powerful and huge community. It had held protests against state of Israel on various occasions. There were quite a few wealthy successful business men in the community, who would sponsor various projects the Rav had initiated. Satmar congregations owned hundreds of properties all over New York, and had communities in Europe and Israel as well.
The Rav's last major public appearance was at the foundation of the "Keren Hatzalah" (=redeeming principle), a fund raising money for Israeli Jewish educational institutions, who pledge not to apply or receive any government aid. According to the Satmar rav, taking money from the Zionists is prohibited, as they are grave sinners. Several weeks later on a Saturday evening he passed away.
Tens of thousands of people attended his funeral on a bright Sunday morning in Monroe NY where he was put to rest in the newly founded "town". The Satmar community as well as the entire Hasidic community was grieving at the tremendous loss. He left no children behind, as all of his three daughters died while he was still alive.
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Declaration on ‘the Palestine issue’ by Neturei Karta of the UK

01 July 2003

A courageous stance against Zionism.

Declaration on ‘the Palestine issue’ by Neturei Karta of the UK
to be brought to the attention of Members of Parliament of the UK

1. The Definition of the Neturei Karta group.
The Neturei Karta group is a spearhead group within the Jewish People, who are prepared to stand up and express openly a religious and humanitarian philosophy held in essence by large numbers (hundreds of thousands) and possibly the majority of authentic Orthodox Jews. A philosophy totally opposed to the attitude adopted by the Zionists and to Zionism as a whole.

The philosophy in essence is that for the last two thousand years or so the Jewish people have been in a state of exile decreed by the A-lmighty. The Jews were exiled from their land because they did not maintain the standards expected of them. This state of exile is the situation that exists right up to the present day. It is a basic part of our belief to accept willingly the Heavenly decree of exile and not to try and fight against it or to end it by our own hands. In practical terms, exile for us means that Jews must be loyal subjects of the countries in which they live and not attempt to rule over the established indigenous populations of those countries. And of course this includes Palestine.

The Zionist movement founded approximately 100 years ago based on secular nationalistic aims, was a complete abandonment of our religious teachings and faith - in general - and in particular regarding our approach to our state of exile and to the peoples among whom we live.

2. Neturei Karta’s position towards Israel
The ideology of Zionism is to take the law into ones own hands and to try to force the outcome in the form of a State irrespective of the cost in life and property to anyone who stands in the way. The Palestinians stood in the way.

The practical outcome of Zionism in the form of the State known as ‘Israel’ is completely alien to Judaism and the Jewish Faith and has been and continues to be the cause of untold suffering and bloodshed both Jewish and non-Jewish.

The apparent connection between Judaism and Zionism is false. The connection has been nurtured by the Zionists in order to ensnare as many Jews as possible within their net.

According to the Torah and Jewish faith, the present Palestinian Arab claim to rule in Palestine is right and just. The Zionist claim is wrong and criminal.

It follows, therefore, that the Jewish people have no right to rule today in Palestine.

One must add to this wrong, the fact that in order to achieve an ill conceived nationalistic ambition, a shocking contravention of natural and humanitarian justice was committed by the Zionists in setting up an illegitimate regime in Palestine completely against the wishes of the established population, the Palestinians, which inevitably had to be based on loss of life, killing and stealing.

Our attitude to Israel is that the whole concept is flawed and illegitimate. It is a tragedy for the Palestinians and also for the Jewish people.

3. Neturei Karta’s position towards Zionist Jews
The Zionists have made themselves to appear as the representatives and spokespeople of all Jews thus, with their actions arousing animosity against the Jews. But, this is simply not true! Zionism is not Judaism. Zionists cannot speak in the name of Jews.

Although, it must be remembered that a large number of people living within the Zionist State are there by force of circumstances and are by no means ideological Zionists. Their support for the Zionist State is by force of habit and circumstance. They would be quite happy to live under a Muslim regime if they would be allowed to do so in safety.

4. Neturei Karta’s position towards Muslims and Arabs
The connection between Muslims and Jews goes right back into ancient history. Mostly the relationship was friendly and mutually beneficial. Historically, the situation frequently was that when Jews were being persecuted in Europe they found refuge in the various Muslim countries. Our attitude to Muslims and Arabs can only be one of friendliness and respect.

To sum up.

We consider the Palestinians as the people with the right to govern in Palestine.

The Zionist oppression, abuse and murder of Arabs is a tragedy not only for the Palestinians but for the Jewish people as well.
The continuing existence of the Zionist State is the underlying cause of the strife in Palestine.

It must be clear that opposition to Zionism and its crimes does not imply hatred of Jews. On the contrary Zionism itself and its deeds are the biggest threat to Judaism.

Governments of the world should realise that supporting Zionists and Zionism is not helping Jews or Judaism but only perpetuates the tragic impasse and constant bloodshed in the Middle East.

We are waiting for the annulment of Zionism and the dismantling of the Zionist regime, and would welcome the opportunity to dwell in peace in the holy land under a rule which is entirely in accordance with the wishes of the Palestinian People.

We pray for a solution to the terrible and tragic impasse that exists. Hopefully based on results brought about by moral, political and economic pressures imposed by the nations of the world.


pp Neturei Karta - UK
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Rabbi Ahron Cohen


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From True Torah Jews Against Zionism:

Zionism and Anti-Semitism

We implore and beseech our Jewish brethren to realize that the Zionists are not the saviors of the Jewish People and guarantors of their safety, but rather the instigators and original cause of Jewish suffering in the Holy Land and worldwide. The idea that Zionism and the State of “Israel” is the protector of Jews is probably the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the Jewish People. Indeed, where else since 1945 have Jews been in such physical danger as in the Zionist state?!
Jews are enjoined by their religious laws to be loyal to the country of which they are citizens. Ever since the destruction of the holy Temple in Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish People some two thousand years ago, we have been enjoined to be scrupulously loyal to the countries we reside in. One of the great biblical prophets, Jeremiah, in chapter 29 of his book proclaimed G-d's message to all the exiled; verse seven reads, "Seek out the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray for it to the Almighty, for through its welfare will you have welfare." This has been a cornerstone of Jewish morality throughout our history to this very day.
Torah-true Jews wish to live in peace and harmony with their neighbors in every country among the community of nations, including in historic Palestine. They deplore acts and policies of violence carried out by those who, misusing the name of Israel our forefather, have substituted the ideal of chauvinist nationalism for the eternal values of the Torah, the eternal divinely bestowed inheritance of the Jewish people.
It has been the age-old intention of Zionism to intentionally stir up anti-Semitism anywhere possible, and even more commonly, to take advantage of any Jewish suffering anywhere in order to enhance its cause Indeed, hatred of Jews and Jewish suffering is the oxygen of the Zionist movement, and from the very beginning has been to deliberately incite hatred of the Jew and then, in feigned horror, use it to justify the existence of the Zionist state – this is, of course, Machiavellianism raised to the highest degree. Thus, the Zionists thrive on hatred and suffering of Jews, and seek to benefit thereby through keeping Jews in perpetual fear, causing them to ignore the true nature of Zionism, and instead to consider the Zionist state is their salvation.

ANTI-SEMITISM BY POLITICAL ZIONISM

Although Zionists and others dispute it, the undeniable fact is that revolutionary secular and apostate elements in the Jewish community in Europe contributed greatly to hostility towards Jews after World War I. This aroused hatred of Jews in general among many non-Jews. While a prisoner in 1924 in the fortress of Lansberg on the River Lech, Hitler wrote his Mein Kampf. When he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, he was assisted by Goebbels, Roseberg and Streicher. From them came the declarations, “The Jews of Germany caused the defeat of Germany in the 1914-1918 war; the Jews of Germany were responsible for the terrible conditions in Germany that followed the war; the Jews of Germany are foreigners and they wish to remain foreigners; they have no loyalty to the country of their birth; they are not human; they are filthy dogs; they have no right to intrude into Germany’s affairs; there are too many Jews in Germany.
As far as Zionism is concerned, the founder of Zionism and apostate, Theodor Herzl, sought to intensify hatred of the Jew in order to enhance the cause of political Zionism. Here are some of his “pearls”:

“It is essential that the sufferings of Jews. . . become worse. . . this will assist in realization of our plans. . .I have an excellent idea. . . I shall induce anti-semites to liquidate Jewish wealth. . . The anti-semites will assist us thereby in that they will strengthen the persecution and oppression of Jews. The anti-semites shall be our best friends”. (From his Diary, Part I, pp. 16)

Additional words from the vivid imagination of this dreamer, from p. 68 of Part I of his Diary.

So anti-Semitism, which is a deeply imbedded force in the subconscious mind of the masses, will not harm the Jews. I actually find it to be advantageous to building the Jewish character, education by the masses that will lead to assimilation. This education can only happen through suffering, and the Jews will adapt.

Hateful views of Jews as being subhuman did not have to be invented by Nazi theorists such as Hitler, Goebbels, Rosenberg and Streicher. This ideology was simply adapted from statements of political Zionists such as those found in the writings of the Zionist Yehezkel Kaufman in 1933.
In 1920 there were statements hostile to Jews expressed at Heidelberg University. These statements, arguing that Jews of Germany had caused the turmoil that followed the war; that the Jews of Germany had nothing in common with Germans, and that Germans had the right to prevent the Jews of Germany from intruding into the affairs of their volk were not made by Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf, but by Nahum Goldmann, who went in to become the President of the World Zionist Organization and head of the World Jewish Congress, and, indisputably, the most influential political Zionist in the world, second only to the Prime Minister of the State of Israel.
In 1921, Germans in Germany were told that:

“We Jews are aliens… a foreign people in your midst and we… wish to stay that way. A Jew can never be a loyal German; whoever calls the foreign land his Fatherland is a traitor to the Jewish people“.

Who spoke these vile words? It was Jacob Klatzkin, the second of two political Zionist ideologists in Germany at the time, where the Jews of Germany were enjoying full political and civil rights. It was he who had advocated undermining Jewish communities as the one certain way of acquiring a state. “They had no qualms concerning tearing down the existing Jewish communities.”
Who spoke in a public address at a political Zionist meeting in Berlin and declared that “Germany… has too many Jews”? Was it Hitler or Goebbels? No, it was Chaim Weizman, later to become the first President of the State of Israel. This address was published in 1920, and, thus, four years before Hitler had even written Mein Kampf.
How many Zionist Jews know of this vicious treachery uttered by these senior political Zionist leaders, these apostates from the Jewish People? At the Nuremberg Trials of Major War Criminals, Nazi propagandist, Julius Streicher testified: “I did no more than echo what the leading Zionists had been saying”, it is clear that he had told the truth.
In addition to Hitler, Rosenberg, Goebbels and Streicher, many other Nazi leaders used statements from Zionists to validate their charges against the Jews of Germany. Such are the efforts of Zionist leaders to this very day to maintain a high degree of anti-semitism in order to enable them, in feigned horror, to then point to anti-semitism to support their idolatrous and anti-Jewish cause. In 1963, Moshe Sharett, then Chairman of the Jewish Agency, told the 38th Annual Congress of the Scandinavian Youth Federation that the freedom enjoyed by the majority of Jews imperiled Zionism, and at the 26th World Zionist Congress, the delegates were told that the Jew is endangered by the easing of anti-Semitism in the United States “We are endangered by freedom” he declared.
As we stated earlier, Zionism thrives on anti-Semitism. Ben Gurion declared, “…not always and not everywhere do I opposed anti-Semitism”. Zionists regularly pull out their handy “anti-Semite” race card against anyone, Jew or non-Jew, who dares to speak out against the wickedness of Zionism.
During World War II, the Lehi organization, an offshoot of Begin’s Irgun that was headed by Yitzchak Shamir sought an alliance with Nazis! The following is a quote from the writings of the Lehi in their contact with the Nazis:

"The establishment of the historical Jewish state on a national and totalitarian basis and bound by a treaty with the German Reich would be in the interests of strengthening the future German position of power in the Near East ... The NMO in Palestine offers to take an active part in the war on Germany's side ... The cooperation of the Israeli freedom movement would also be in line with one of the recent speeches of the German Reich Chancellor, in which Herr Hitler stressed that any combination and any alliance would be entered into in order to isolate England and defeat it."

To those who assume that Zionists have been on the side of freedom and equality, these words seem strange. However, to those who understand the root of Zionism, which is the transformation and eradication of the concept of the traditional Jew and Judaism, these statements are not strange at all. They are to be expected.
The Zionists agreed with Nazism in general, even prior to the advent of Nazism. They believed that Jews could not, and should not, live in harmony in any other society in the world, and that should be removed from those societies for the benefit of those societies. They believed that the new Jewish existence in its own State would remake the image of Jews as “useless” and “parasites.” These ideas existed long before Adolf Hitler!
There is a huge amount of literature describing how the Zionists made it very difficult to save Jews during and after World War II. As various individuals and organizations were trying to arrange departures of Jews to western countries, the Zionists worked overtime to prevent this from happening. They expressed the opinion that building up the Jewish population of Palestine was more important than enabling Jews to go to third countries, and they insisted to western powers that Jews should not be accepted anywhere other than Palestine. Indeed, Yitzchak Greenbaum, a famous Zionist, proclaimed that “one cow in Palestine was worth more than all the Jews in Poland.” The infamous David Ben-Gurion said in 1938:

"If I knew it was possible to save all the children in Germany by taking them to England, and only half of the children by taking them to Eretz Israel, I would choose the second solution. For we must take into account not only the lives of these children but also the history of the people of Israel."

After the war, a Zionist “religious” leader, Rabbi Klaussner, who was in charge of displaced persons presented a report before the Jewish American Conference on May 2nd, 1948 :

"I am convinced people must be forced to go to Palestine...For them, an American dollar appears as the highest of goals. By the word "force", I am suggesting a programme. It served for the evacuation of the Jews in Poland, and in the history of the 'Exodus'... To apply this programme we must, instead of providing 'displaced persons' with comfort, create the greatest possible discomfort for them...At a second stage, a procedure calling upon the Haganah to harass the Jews."

It is ironic that the Zionists proclaim their State as the safe haven for the Jewish People, when since World War II no place on earth has been as dangerous for Jews, both spiritually and physically, as the Zionist state.
The Zionists worked relentlessly to create fear among Jews in the Arab countries after the Zionist state was established. Their tactic work most successfully in Yemen, Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia.
It is common knowledge among Iraqi Jews that during 1949-1950 the famous Zionist, Mordechai ben Porat, who had the nickname of Morad Abu al-Knabel (Mordechai Bomber), was instrumental in seeking to bribe Iraqi officials after the creation of the Zionist state to pass laws to encourage Jews to leave Iraq. This was enhanced by the Zionists planting bombs in synagogues in Baghdad in March 1950. Information about this is readily available on the internet.
The writings of Mr. Naim Giladi document in detail what the Zionists did in Baghdad in 1950 to provoke the departure of the Jews to the Zionist state. The Zionists do not care what effect their policies have on the Jewish communities of any country. When they accuse European nations of every sin under the sun, do the Zionists care that this will produce hostility towards Jews? No! Not a bit. On the contrary, as we have discussed, they thrive on such circumstances, clinging to the vain hope that these Jewish communities will rush for the “salvation” of the “safe haven” of the Zionist Paradise where Jews are in constant danger as the Zionist regime undertakes every form of cruel provocation against non-Jews.
In more recent times the Zionists have sought every opportunity to encourage Jews to leave their home countries. Anytime there is even the smallest event of hostility toward Jews on the heels of Zionist policy, or if there are signs of economic distress and dislocation, the Zionists magnify it a thousand times, seek to ruthlessly humiliate the nations involved, and agitate for Jews to go to the Zionist state, the so-called “natural home” of the Jewish People. This has been the case in countries such as France, Argentina, Uruguay, the former Soviet Union and Egypt.
The promises of the Torah are always to be realized. This verse from the Torah demonstrates that those who are his enemies will pay a price when The kingdom of G-D will prevail.
Deuteronomy 32:43: Praise his People, O Nations: For he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will render vengeance against his adversaries and make expiation for his land and his People.
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