Satmar attack: "The man called Rab"d - rebellious elder"

The struggle of the Eida Haredis factors against the Av Beis Din Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, for his strong stand against the decision of his fellow rabbis - most members of the Beis Din - not to excavate at Golovenzitz construction site in Beit Shemesh, a decision made at the initiative of Gab"d Eida Haredis, Hgri"t Weiss, who is president of the organization Asra Kadisha, crosses borders and this week recorded far-reaching developments.

One notable scribe in the newspaper Der Yid, the journal of the Satmar Rebbe Mahrz"l, is Rabbi Menashe Philip, Rav of Kehal Mahari T"v and brother of Dayan Association of Rabbis and one of the community leaders, Hagaon Rabbi Zalman Leib Philip.

Last Thursday, Rabbi Philip stood at the podium in the Beis Midrash Haredim in Kiryat Yoel, Monroe, and addressed the most pressing issue in the corridors of kanoim: the Golovenzitz compound in Beit Shemesh, and the controversy around the issue between the Rosh Av Beis Din and Gab"d about the excavations.

After relating the chain of events, Rabbi Philip let down the leash of his mouth, opened with slander against Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch and called him "crazy" and 'Zaken Mamre'.

"The man who is known as Rab"d'" Rabbi Philip opened his mouth, "writes a letter permeated with leitzanus. Just unthinkable! The man called Rab"d, is shrouded with suppressed hatred against 'Asra Kadisha', since the period of works in the old cemetery in the holy city of Safed, and he is willing to do anything against this organization, G-d forbid.

"His son Chaim Ozer," Rabbi Philip accused the sabotaging attempts of Hagaon Rabbi Sternbuch, "received a lot of money and the Rab"d got a lot of money too, that's why he permits it all! The Rab"d is a zaken mamre (rebellious elder) explained in this week's parsha (Parshas Shoftim, in which the talk was given). True, the law of the rebellious elder is not pertinent in our days and he does not deserve death penalty... Particularly that the only reason is just big money and hatred that he has against Asra Kadisha.

"Worst of all, he (- the Rab"d) even goes with Degel HaTorah, rachmona litzlan, which is a party which sends MKs to the Knesset and he sends his son to speak at a meeting of a Zionist party. Anyone who saw the letter of the Rab"d, will have his proof, that it is almost copied verbatim from the letter of Chaim Amsallem, which he wrote during the demonstrations against the excavations undertaken at the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon compound."

Here Rabbi Philip opened a direct attack against the very appointment of Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch as Av Beis Din and against his personality:

"I'm not talking about the fact that they didn't even choose him to be Rab"d. He took it for himself by force ... Most of his granddaughters study at Beis Yaakov rc"l, which goes against the principles of the Eida Haredis. Whoever sees his books, will notice that his shita violates the holy shita (of Satmar.) He issued a book while still in Johannesburg (- the city where he served as a rabbi before coming to Jerusalem) a shame! This is an insane person... his rulings are unfounded in principle. He paskens without examining the law carefully. He stole the job without being selected only force ... The Brisker Rav said he is 'crazy'..."

Amazingly, no one present got up and protested against the insult to the Torah of the Rab"d. The public listened eagerly, took a mouthful of water and perhaps was shocked at the reckless assault of Rabbi Philip.

Philip was probably affected to some extent, by the letter published recently in the U.S., signed by the rabbis of Satmar of the Rebbe Maharz"l faction, who resolutely opposed excavation at the Golovenzitz compound, signed by himself at the edge of the call.

Under the heading 'Terrible warning Hamira Sacanta Me'isura', the rabbis join the call of the BADATZ after Asra Kadisha contends there were "more than three hundred burial caves" found.

"Very we were horrified to hear that there are people plotting to open or to dig and pry caves and bring tractors on the ground and destroy the cemetery to the ground. This will not be!"

The rabbis of course ignore the fact, that there are rabbis in Israel who accompany the project, including Hagr"n Kerlitz and Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch alongside other rabbis who are under their supervision - and state: "When it comes to them, everything is permitted, to pry the dead and throw as dung thousands of deceased, our ancestors from the times of the Shoftim, and no one says a word."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!