Satmar (or Satmar Hasidism or Satmarer Hasidism) (חסידות סאטמאר) is a Hasidic movement of mostly Hungarian[1] and Romanian Hasidic Jews who survived World War II. It was founded and led by the late Hungarian-born[2] Grand Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum[1] (1887-1979), who was the rabbi of the town of Szatmárnémeti, Kingdom of Hungary[1] (now Satu Mare, Romania) up to World War II. Members of his congregation are mainly referred to as Satmar Hasidim or Satmarer Hasidim, or "hunkies" or "heimishe (pronounced hi-mish).
What is perhaps most ironic about "Reb Yoilish" was that he was embittered that the Zionist bastards saved his skinny ass at the expense of others. This left him feeling ambivalent- on the one hand he owed his life and a debt of gratitude to the Zionists but on the other hand, his lifelong mission was to curse them! It so happened that it killed him to show any sort of gratitude so he went out of his way to blast them until the day he died. Ah Chitzpoo Gedoiloo!
The 2 largest Satmar communities are in Veeleemsboog, Brooklyn and Kiryas Joel, New York; There are also significant Satmar communities in Borough Park, Brooklyn; Monsey, New York; and smaller communities can be found in North America, Europe, Israel, Argentina and Australia. The late Satmar Rebbe, Reb Yoel, also held the title of the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem's Edah HaChareidis (an ultra orthodox anti Zionist community in Jerusalem), although he did not live in Jerusalem since 1946.
Satmar is one of the largest and most influential Hasidic movements in existence today, but formal demographic comparisons with other Hasidim are not available. It is believed now, however, to number close to 130,000 schnorrers, and is rapidly growing due to the extremely high fertility rates of this group and also the large welfare and public housing "payouts." This population figure does not include a number of smaller and related anti-Zionist Hungarian Hasidic groups who align themselves with Satmar.[3]
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