Right?
I was once in Williamsburg [the Satmar stronghold] and there were some men there selling tickets to fly to Washington to protest publicly against Israel [I surprisingly didn't buy a ticket:-)]. OYYY YOY YOOOY!
So listen to a story: One of the biggest Secular Zionists in Israel desperately needed money right away for an operation for his sick child. He was in New York and he was told that the only person who could help him was the Satmar Rebbe. He didn't want to go because he said that if they find out who I am they will give me "special" treatment. But they told him that Satmar is your only chance. So he went and the Rebbe knew who he was yet received him with tremendous sweetness. He told the Rebbe about his situation and the Rebbe asked him how much he needed. He said "20,000 dollars". The Rebbe said to his gabbai - give me the checkbook. He wrote out a check. No more questions asked.
[After posting I received the following email from A.Y.B. whom I thank -
Regarding the Satmar story you posted, the Rebbe gave him the money on
the condition that he come back before he went back to Israel, he had tocome back to the Rebbe. When he was ready to go back to Israel, he
went back to the Rebbe and thought the Rebbe was going to lash out at
him for writing such terrible things about him (the man was a
journalist who wrote scathing reports about the Rebbe). The Rebbe said
to him, I know it must have been hard being away from your family and
working while you were in America. The Rebbe handed him another
envelope, containing $10,000, to help get him back on his feet and
help make ends meet.]
Sweetest friends - go to hospitals in New York and Israel and see who is giving out food and visiting the patients. Satmar. And to ALL Jewish patients without regard to their level of observance. So their detractors would do better if they would better spend the time they belittle Satmar going to hospitals and visiting the sick and would thereby contribute much more to the world than they do by spewing hatred.
Am I a Satmar Chossid? No. But I am a chossid of some Satmar Chassidim...
