I wasn’t sure, as a guest from Eretz Yisrael who votes in Israeli election and sends his children to schools funded by the Zionist government, what kind of a welcome I’d receive in the inner circle of the Chassidus that’s still engaged in a war against the Zionist entity currently ruling over Eretz Yisrael. But Satmar is much more than anti-Zionist politics. It is a kingdom of chesed, a world of congeniality, and an island of hospitality.

As the double doors on 550 Bedford Avenue close behind me, I am greeted warmly by Rebbe Yekusiel Yehuda (“Zalman Leib”) of Satmar. Across the table, the Rebbe sits serenely, dressed in a flowered beketshe embroidered with gold thread and a shtreimel, in honor of the week of sheva brachos of his eldest grandson.

The decor around him is basic. At the center of a long table stands a silver clock whose rhythmic ticking breaks the silence. An old brown chandelier hangs from the ceiling, casting a soft light over the interior of the room. Around the table are eight chairs and bookshelves laden with seforim; four doors lead to the various sections of the house. A Chassidus with the financial wherewithal of Satmar could allow much more luxury for its leaders, but obviously, the Rebbe prefers that the wealth stop at his threshold.

Adjoining the Rebbe’s chamber is a combination living room and waiting room, where minutes before my meeting in the Rebbe’s inner sanctum, I joined the ten chassidim who regularly daven Maariv in this outer room with the Rebbe, whose own prayers are silent and measured.

The five days that I spent as a guest in this great spiritual empire brought me no small number of surprises and shattered quite a few misconceptions. Sitting with the Rebbe, davening in the shul on Rodney Street, participating in one public Shabbos meal with the Rebbe and another with a leading figure in Satmar (who made sure to invite some quick-witted young men who are well-versed in the “shitah hakedoshah” of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar ztz”l, so that they would solidly present Satmar’s worldview), and a series of visits to the Satmar mosdos, — exposed me to the complexity of this little-understood Chassidus. Satmar has its wealthy and its poor, it has its stubborn side and its soft side, and it has both passion and calm. It is at once rigidly anachronistic and surprisingly progressive. Welcome to the world of Satmar.

Crossing (Green) Lines

Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Wieder, a confidant of the Rebbe who serves as his gabbai and is responsible for writing kvittlach, closed the door behind me. I stood alone, facing the leader of the Satmar Chassidus. “Reb Aryeh is a guest from Eretz Yisrael, from the city of Beitar,” Rabbi Wieder whispered, placing a folded note in front of the Rebbe. My name and the name of the city where I live were printed on the outside of the note, in large, elegant letters. Reb Mordechai Dovid also served the previous Rebbe, the Beirach Moshe of Satmar. He writes kvittlach and directs the stream of people into the Rebbe’s room with expertise and discretion. Above him on the chain of command is Rabbi Moshe Friedman, the meshamesh bakodesh of Satmar and one of the most well-known gabbaim in the chassidic world.

A delicate smile tugs at the corners of the Rebbe’s lips. “What kind of kehillos are there in Beitar?” he asks surprisingly, a pair of compassionate eyes peering out from behind his black-rimmed eyeglasses. According to Satmar, living in such an area borders on provoking the nations of the world, which is forbidden by one of the three oaths on which the first Satmar Rebbe based his views. To my surprise, the Rebbe did not demonstrate any signs of displeasure. Instead, he went on to take an interest in what I do for a living.

The Rebbe’s interest in family and livelihood is sincere and genuine. He will often offer his own assistance, and despite the power of his brachos and the efficacy of his advice, the Rebbe will often opt to help out in practical ways as well; he will make a telephone call, forge connections, and use his own influence when necessary. Satmar, I was told by the chassidim in the beis medrash on Rodney Street, demands from its adherents conservatism and involvement, both of them l’shem Shamayim.

The most disapproving facial expression that I encountered was when I dared to ask if I could bring a camera into the stronghold of the Chassidus. The very request, I was told, was unacceptable. The Rebbe is opposed to pictures, and no camera has ever crossed the threshold of his private home. I relented.

In a few days, the Rebbe will be visiting Eretz Yisrael for the first time since his appointment as the leader of Satmar. Rav Shaul Perlstein, the deputy rosh hakahal, said that the Rebbe will be coming with millions of dollars to distribute to mosdos in Eretz Yisrael that refrain from accepting government funding.

The reason for the Rebbe’s trip is the wedding of the daughter of Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum, the Rebbe’s eldest son and his successor as the leader of the Satmar community in Yerushalayim. But that also coincides with Israeli election week.

At the request of the leaders of the Eidah Chareidis, the Rebbe agreed to move up his arrival in order to participate in a mass rally against voting in the Israeli elections. In a surprising move, Delta Airways altered its flight schedule in order to allow the Rebbe to come to JFK airport after the conclusion of Shabbos according to the zman of Rabbeinu Tam. (The Rebbe does not travel on El Al, due to its Zionist affiliation.) This next Sunday, tens of thousands of people are expected to gather in the capital’s Kikar Shabbos to hear the Rebbe’s speech.

The old Satmar Rebbe, Rebbe Yoel ztz”l, established the famous Keren Hatzolah to assist those institutions that function independently of the state and accept no government funding. Last week, during the final days before the Rebbe’s excursion, he was busy raising money for all these institutions — and not only Satmar mosdos, but from across the board, as long as they adhere to the philosophy of the Chassidus.

One of the gabbaim was concerned that the Rebbe wouldn’t have time to prepare the many drashos he’s slated to deliver while in Eretz Yisrael, but the Rebbe, undaunted, replied with a story....