A Rare Farewell: The Last Journey of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum of Satmar

The Satmar Rebbe visited the Holy Land four times, in 1952, 1955, 1959, and 1965. During these visits, he worked tirelessly to strengthen traditional Judaism, inspire his followers, and reinforce religious observance throughout the country. Each journey was marked by deeply emotional farewells, as thousands of devoted Hasidim gathered to bid farewell to the Rebbe and Rebbetzin. Large crowds accompanied him throughout his travels, escorting him wherever he went.

The rare footage featured in the accompanying video shows the Satmar Rebbe leaving his synagogue in Williamsburg in 1965. Thousands of Hasidim, men, women, and children, filled the streets to accompany him to his vehicle, pressing forward for one last glimpse of his radiant and revered face. They continued escorting him until he boarded the ship that would take him to the Land of Israel. This would be his final journey to the Holy Land before his passing.

The Satmar Rebbe was widely respected and admired across the entire Haredi world as an outstanding spiritual leader and an authoritative halachic decisor. He was regarded as a man of God who lived above material concerns, dedicating his life to holiness with profound reverence and awe.

Even as a young child, he devoted considerable time to ritual purity. This commitment remained a defining characteristic throughout his life and was reflected in his stringent rulings on the laws of purity. His extraordinary talents were evident from an early age. Reporting on his bar mitzvah address, the newspaper Machzikei HaDat described his discourse on the Talmudic passage concerning "one who finds tefillin" in Tractate Shabbat, noting that the young scholar delivered an original and sophisticated analysis entirely from memory, speaking confidently and fearlessly like a seasoned Torah sage.

Even before his marriage, he had received rabbinic ordination from eight distinguished rabbis, among them Rabbi Moshe Greenwald, who certified him to serve as a rabbinical judge and halachic authority.

Rebuilding Satmar in America

In 1945, following the Holocaust, the Rebbe left Europe together with several hundred survivors of the Kastner Train. They traveled through the Italian port of Taranto on their way to the Land of Israel, boarding the ship Ville d'Oran, which arrived in Haifa.

After spending approximately one year in Israel, he traveled to the United States on a fundraising mission, arriving in New York shortly before Rosh Hashanah of 1946. Although he had initially intended to remain only temporarily, prominent American rabbis urged him to stay and provide spiritual leadership to the growing Orthodox community.

He ultimately settled in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, accompanied by approximately seventy followers. There he rebuilt his court from the ground up. This small group became the founding nucleus of Kahal Yetev Lev D'Satmar, established during Chol HaMoed Pesach in 1948 and incorporated later that year as a religious nonprofit organization. In 1952, the community formally adopted bylaws recognizing Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum as its supreme religious authority.

In 1951, the Rebbe was elected to the honorary position of President of the Eidah HaChareidit in Jerusalem, despite residing abroad. As part of this arrangement, he agreed to visit the Land of Israel approximately once every three years. The journey documented in this rare footage was one of those historic visits.

His Passing and Legacy

In the early hours of August 19, 1979 (26 Av 5739), the Satmar Rebbe suffered a heart attack and was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, where he passed away later that morning.

Approximately 100,000 mourners attended his funeral that same day.

Among those who eulogized him was Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach, who said: "We are mourning a truly great man whose stature is difficult to describe, a giant among giants. We have lost an extraordinary leader, and we no longer have someone who can proclaim the authentic word of God with such unwavering strength."

May his merit continue to protect and intercede on behalf of the entire Jewish people.