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Last update - 10:04 16/08/2007
Satmar rebbe late to community event due to women's presence
By Yair Sheleg, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Jerusalem, ultra-Orthodox 

The Satmar rebbe was supposed to attend the inauguration of his community' new compound in Jerusalem Wednesday evening and address his followers at 7:30 P.M. However, he arrived only at 9:30 P.M.

Had this been a secular politician, the delay would have been explained by a desire to coincide with television's prime time news broadcasts. In Satmar's case, the explanation was completely different - it's the women's fault.

Organizers kept asking the women not to stand on Yeshayahu Street, which was intended for men, but only on Pri Hadash Road, which was designated for them. The "sacred event" could not continue unless they followed instructions, they said.
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Satmar is the largest Hasidic court in the world, totaling some 20,000 families, but most of its members live in New York. The Israeli community consists of about 1,200 families. So most of the thousands who came Wednesday were the ultra-Orthodox mainly from the adjacent neighborhoods and yeshivas. For them it was another opportunity to see a Torah sage, even if he wasn't their leader.

Indeed, when the rebbe finally arrived, the crowd surged forward so forcefully that organizers had to warn of the "mortal danger."

Among the young crowd, which included quite a few from the "Lithuanian" camp (ultra-Orthodox non-Hasidic - and sometimes anti-Hasidic - sects), many criticized the event. "It must be said that in our community we also have displays of idol worship," one man said, after admitting that he had arrived not to hear words of wisdom but "to see the rebbe."

Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum, who arrived on a flight from the U.S. via Germany to avoid flying on the Zionist El Al, came to lay the cornerstone for the new community. This symbolizes a triple victory. The first is staking the Teitlebaum court's claim in Jerusalem. The second is the Satmar community's triumph over the rest of the ultra-Orthodox. The third and perhaps sweetest is the triumph over the secular Jews, for the new community will be built on the site of the Edison Cinema, which had been a thorn in the side of the ultra-Orthodox community for years.

Demonstrations failed to remove the cinema. But over the years, as secular residents opted for the modern cinema complexes in the shopping centers, Edison closed down and its land was sold to the Satmar Hasidim to build a compound of some 100 subsidized apartments.

The symbolic victory was so important that inside sources say the rebbe told his people to insist on this compound, although it was half a million dollars more expensive than other plots at the Satmars' disposal
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  1.   Irony of the edison cinema 04:50  |  Donald 16/08/07
  2.   Going Via Germany 05:04  |  Shia 16/08/07
  3.   Satmar is amazing 05:33  |  helpful!! 16/08/07
  4.   jews 06:32  |  regina 16/08/07
  5.   So foolish! 06:58  |  Stephen 16/08/07
  6.   Satmar Jews 07:12  |  Arik 16/08/07
  7.   ARE the Satmar Hassidim going to get the usual building approvals 07:13  |  PETERSM 16/08/07
  8.   negative tone 07:27  |  JR 16/08/07
  9.   so foolish???? 07:39  |  regina 16/08/07
  10.   Ha`aretz 07:44  |  Miriam 16/08/07
  11.   News 08:11  |  David 16/08/07
  12.   Biased 08:16  |  Truth? 16/08/07
  13.   Unhelpful!! 08:29  |  Dani Reiss 16/08/07
  14.   Yair Sheleg writes extremist leftist anti Jewish garbage. 08:37  |  A.Burg Look-alike 16/08/07
  15.   satmar are like haredi left 08:51  |  yehudi tsioni 16/08/07
  16.   Anti-Zionists? So why are they here? 10:09  |  s2 16/08/07
  17.   Satmar 10:12  |  Dan 16/08/07
  18.   solution 10:19  |  realism 16/08/07
  19.   Divisive and unnecessary 10:29  |  Michoel 16/08/07
  20.   Yair Sheleg - Journalist 10:32  |  george 16/08/07
  21.   Typical of Haaretz 11:19  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 16/08/07
  22.   SHELEG FALLS ON SATMAR EVENT 11:27  |  SPTZ 16/08/07
  23.   I`m afraid for ISrael future 11:45  |  Benjamin 16/08/07
  24.   Biaised article but good news 12:02  |  Leo 16/08/07
  25.   `Idol worship`? 13:01  |  Joseph 16/08/07
  26.   #17Dan-It is 4 buildings up from "Kikar Shabbat"& is Meah Shearim 13:04  |  Friendly Neighbour 16/08/07
  27.   closing cinemas 13:05  |  Sherlock Holmes 16/08/07
  28.   Gedolei Yisrael 13:10  |  Joe 16/08/07
  29.   To Joe of Baltimore 13:31  |  Student 16/08/07
  30.   Satmar - sad joke 14:35  |  eddie karaite 16/08/07
  31.   To Student 14:44  |  Michael 16/08/07
  32.   Jerusalem a d v a n c e d into early middle ages. 14:49  |  H.H.M 16/08/07
  33.   Satramar are the most generous and caring people!!!! 15:00  |  AVI 16/08/07
  34.   Boker tov, Iran 15:03  |  Mirqa 16/08/07
  35.   When Shlomit Aloni visited Gemany...... 15:06  |  AVI 16/08/07
  36.   Journalism 101 15:07  |  Kate 16/08/07
  37.   like Iran????? Satmar are totaly harmless!! 15:24  |  AVI 16/08/07
  38.   Isn`t Zalman Leib Teitelbaum the rebbe of Satmar? 15:25  |  Barry 16/08/07
  39.   avi #35, you`re confused 15:46  |  ray 16/08/07
  40.   LOOKS LIKE SATMAR IS RIGHT ABOUT OUR CUROPT GOVERNMENT 15:59  |  Yochanan 16/08/07
  41.   anti-zionist Satmar & anti-zionist secular. 16:02  |  curious 16/08/07
  42.   Rabbi Teitelbaum 16:10  |  Salomon 16/08/07
  43.   The Edison 16:15  |  Lev 16/08/07
  44.   HAARETZ 16:24  |  GILL 16/08/07
  45.   More than one Satmar Rebbe 16:26  |  Dovy 16/08/07
  46.   about satmar 16:39  |  sandu 16/08/07
  47.   #39 Dearest Ray 16:43  |  Avi 16/08/07
  48.   Support Enlightened Margie 16:45  |  Bitter Truth 16/08/07
  49.   There`s something sinister about this article.. 16:48  |  Jo Jo 16/08/07
  50.   CAN`T HAARETZ SHOW HAREIDIM A FRACTION OF RESPECT THEY SHOW ARABS 16:51  |  Mitch Iginer 16/08/07
  51.   "due to women`s presence" 16:53  |  Max 16/08/07
  52.   Are they latent homosexuals? 16:55  |  Danny epicorus 16/08/07
  53.   I?m a celebrity get me out of here! 17:00  |  Kev 16/08/07
  54.   To Danny - the orthodox apikoires 17:06  |  Jo Jo 16/08/07
  55.   Kate #36 said it in a nutshell 17:12  |  I love Kate 16/08/07
  56.   jews hating jews 17:15  |  ross 16/08/07
  57.   Did he arrive past shekiyah? 17:23  |  Jo Jo 16/08/07
  58.   # 4 Mary, Queen of Israel and Queen of Heaven 17:29  |  John Isenhower 16/08/07
  59.   # 15 Most of the "Lost Tribes migrated to Europe" 17:39  |  John Isenhower 16/08/07
  60.   # 56 Best Way to Stop Jew Hatred, Stop Saying Jew 17:47  |  John Isenhower 16/08/07
  61.   Even in Saudi Arabia 18:00  |  Stephen Isherwood 16/08/07
  62.   To #23 Benjamin 18:08  |  Jimny 16/08/07
  63.   Is Hamas reading this? 18:15  |  W 16/08/07
  64.   Criticism of Ha`Aretz 18:38  |  Stephen 16/08/07
  65.   GReat FOR JEW BASHERS 18:40  |  TOBIA 16/08/07
  66.   52 Danny, such hostility? Perhaps you should try a little love? 18:49  |  common sense 16/08/07
  67.   Stephen Isherwood - #61 18:51  |  David israel 16/08/07
  68.   R*E*S*P*E*C*T 18:54  |  eddie karaite 16/08/07
  69.   #59 John Isenhower 18:57  |  eddie karaite 16/08/07
  70.   Be happy, ` love stupids... 19:15  |  The Dumbite kid 16/08/07
  71.   Satmar - cave dweller 19:15  |  Miransky 16/08/07
  72.   #67 David israel 19:18  |  Stephen Isherwoo 16/08/07
  73.   Squabblers