YESHIVA WORLD NY DESK - Tens of thousands of Chasidic Jews are expected to gather on Sunday outside the Israeli Consulate on Second Avenue in Manhattan to thank Hashem for saving the Jews from being completely decimated in the Holocaust and then giving them the Holy Land as a gift where thousands of Satmar Chasidim live in comfort and benefit from the democratic government that allows them to practice their religion freely. The event will mark a rare show of unity between the rival Satmar factions led by brothers Reb Aharon Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Joel and the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg, Reb Zalman Leib Teitelbaum.
A spokesman for Reb Aharon explained that after years of holding onto the narrative of the State of Israel is an act of the forces of evil, the Rebbe came to the conclusion that if the Holocaust - the worst catastrophe in Jewish history - was an act of Hashem, well then certainly the gift of a Jewish government and complete freedom to live as we wish in the Promised Land is a chesed from Hashem. The Rebbe has such nachas from the tens of thousands of Lomdei Torah, the countless Charedi schools for girls, the number of shuls, mikvaos etc. etc. most of which receive funding from the government. Our harsh criticism, explained the Rebbe, of the secular government, doesn't diminish the tremendous amount of gratitude we have towards Hashem for all He does for us every second of every day and also towards all of the brave soldiers who endanger and often sacrifice their lives and limbs in order to protect US - despite how we consistenly bad mouth them. We continue to daven that they all do complete Teshuva speedily in our days b/c we LOVE them. They are our BROTHERS!!!!! Why focus so much on the negative - as we have in the past - when there is such an overwhelming amount of positive. So-so-so much to be thankful for!!
-----
So we see that longstanding viewpoints CAN be changed!!:-)
יעזוב ... ואיש און מחשבותיו!!
