Origins & Early Life

Joel Teitelbaum (Yiddish: יואל טייטלבוים, romanized: Yoyel Teytlboym, IPA: [ˈjɔɪ.əl ˈtɛɪtl̩bɔɪm]; 13 January 1887 – 19 August 1979) was a Hungarian-born American Jewish leader, who was the founder and first Grand Rebbe of the Satmar dynasty. The Satmar Rebbe is also known as the Krula Rav. A major figure in the post-war renaissance of Hasidism, he espoused a strictly conservative and isolationist line, rejecting modernity. Teitelbaum was a fierce opponent of Zionism, which he decried as inherently heretical on the basis of his own Orthodox Jewish interpretation of Jewish messianic prophecies and theology derived from the Talmud.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The town of Kiryas Joel in New York is named in his honor. Teitelbaum was born on January 13, 1887. He was the second son of the Grand Rabbi of Sighet Chananyah Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum and his second wife, Chana Ashkenazi. The couple married in 1878, after receiving a special dispensation for him to take a second wife, as his first wife Reitze—daughter of Rebbe Menashe Rubin of Ropshitz—was unable to bear children. Joel was the youngest child; he had four older siblings.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The rabbis of the Teitelbaum family were known for their...

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