Satmar rebbe slams anti-Israel protestors: ‘Terrible desecration of God’s name’

‘They act independently, thinking they know more than previous righteous leaders,’ Rabbi Teitelbaum said.

By World Israel News Staff

One of the two spiritual leaders of the Satmar Hasidic dynasty, Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum, condemned anti-Israel protests by the radical anti-Zionist group Neturei Karta, blasting the organization in a recent lecture.

The Rebbe, who leads the Williamsburg, Brooklyn-based half of  of the insular Satmar movement – while his brother, Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum heads the remainder of the Satmar movement, based in Kiryas Joel, New York – decried the Neturei Karta’s participation at anti-Israel demonstrations and meetings with the “enemies of Israel.’

In Rabbi Teitelbaum’s speech, which was uploaded to social media, he blasted the Neturei Karta’s appearance at the protest, calling a “desecration of God’s name.”

“It is a terrible desecration of God’s name to support murderers in the name of the holy Torah and God’s name.”

The Rebbe accused the members of Neturei Karta who held up anti-Israel signs at public demonstrations and met with opponents of the State of Israel of not acting in accordance with Jewish tradition or rabbinical approval.

A week ago, representatives from Neturei Karta met with members of Fatah and Islamic Jihad in Jenin. Around that time, the IDF attacked a terror cell in Jenin, killing 10 terrorists.

The Neturei Karta visitors said, as shown in an X post, “We want to live in co-existence and peace, our Jewish brothers want it too. We wish to live peacefully together with equal rights, on the basis that we all stand firm against occupation.”

Although both Satmar and Neturei Karta are considered non-Zionist, they express these views differently.

As indicated by the Satmar Rebbe, the Satmar movement has distanced itself from Neturei Karta over the latter’s support for the Iranian regime and Palestinian terrorists.