Brooklyn, NY - Dispute Over Satmar Rabbi's Successor Heats Up

Brooklyn, NY - The dispute over which of Grand Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum's sons will succeed him as the grand rabbi of the Satmar sect of Hasidic Jews raged in and out of court for the last six years of his life.

Rabbi Teitelbaum's death last night appears unlikely to bring the controversy to a close.

Less than two hours after the rabbi died, as tens of thousands of grieving Satmars thronged the streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Kiryas Joel, N.Y., a judge in Orange County issued several orders. The orders were issued at the request of Aaron Teitelbaum's supporters. They included measures to maintain order and decorum during the funeral and the mourning period to follow, and to make sure that neither Aaron's nor Zalmen's supporters were shut out.

But Zalmen Teitelbaum's supporters say the orders also contain language intended to solidify the claim to power of Aaron's supporters. Zalmen's supporters plan to file an appeal this afternoon to get the orders thrown out.

At court today, Zalmen's supporters also plan to present a document they say establishes Zalmen as the proper successor: Moses Teitelbaum's will, which, they say, bestows upon Zalmen "all of my powers" and stipulates that "he shall occupy my position and succeed me without any shortfall."

Zalmen's supporters also said that the Satmars' religious court will issue a proclamation by day's end declaring Zalmen the new grand rabbi.

But people who have been observing the battle for years are not expecting a quick capitulation by the other side.

Zalmen's supporters, most of whom live in Brooklyn, said the Williamsburg appointment made him the logical successor to the grand rabbi. Supporters of Aaron, most of whom live in Kiryas Joel, said the appointment of the younger son was fraudulent and filed the first of several suits.

The dispute has occasionally erupted into violence. More than two dozen people were arrested in a fight in the Williamsburg synagogue last year after the judge in Orange County, Stewart A. Rosenwasser, issued another ruling that supported Aaron's position.

Despite the gathering and dispersing of huge crowds last night and today, there has been little unrest and no arrests. But the jockeying goes on as ever.

One of Judge Rosenwasser's orders, signed last night at 8:24 p.m., is an "order to show cause" addressed to Zalmen Teitelbaum's faction. It gives them until Wednesday morning to counter a holding that the head of the pro-Aaron faction, Berl Friedman, as the rightful president of the board of the Williamsburg congregation, is authorized to take action to ensure that the funeral proceeds peacefully.

The order also instructs the police in New York City and in Kiryas Joel to answer to Mr. Friedman.

The lawyer for Zalmen's supporters, Scott E. Mollen, called Judge Rosenwasser's new order "an obvious effort to do an end run around the Appellate Division's order of March 2006." He said he would ask the Appellate Division to throw the new order out.

The spokesman for the pro-Aaron faction of the board did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Isac Weinberger, a leader in the pro-Aaron community in Williamsburg, confidently predicted victory for his side.

"It's going to eventually settle as it has the last thousands of years — the oldest son took over," Mr. Weinberger said. "There's going to be some skirmishes, but 70 to 80 percent of the Hasidim will be with the eldest son."