Hast Thou Escaped and Also Taken Possession? The Responses of the Satmar Rebbe – Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum – and his Followers to Criticism of his Conduct During and After the Holocaust

  

Rabbi Yoel covers his beard with a kerchief during the Holocaust

Hero or Villain? Or Both? 

 “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”

 Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum – the Satmar Rebbe was among the most known rabbinical figures after the Holocaust. He became known for establishing a large and prosperous Hasidic court while at the same time maintaining ultra-conservative, extreme orthodox and anti-Zionist views. His unique theological interpretation of the Holocaust asserted that the severe sins committed by Zionism forced God to punish the People of Israel by the harshest of punishments – the Holocaust. This article will explore the assumption that Rabbi Yoel’s views on that matter were influenced by his own experiences and by his need to explain his acts, or lack of them, before, during and after the Holocaust. The first section will describe the Rabbi’s life and actions during the Holocaust, both at personal and public levels, as reflected in his biographies, the local press, memoirs written by his Hasidim and archival sources. The second section will evaluate Rabbi Yoel’s dubious conduct, both as an individual person and in his capacity as a leaders of a large community. The latter part of this section will reveal how Rabbi Yoel himself, followed by his biographers, attempted to explicate, whitewash and cover up, post factum, decisions he made and actions that he took or avoided. 

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