Satmar Judaism and Sukkot

I went on a “Fam” tour of Williamsburg, Brooklyn earlier this week.  (“Fam” is short for familiarization tour.) There are four cultural groups of Brooklyn Heights – hipsters, Puerto Ricans, Italians, and Hassidic Jews.  My “fam” tour took place on September 18, the first day of Sukkot this year. 

I want to talk a little bit about the Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg.  There are many different Hassidic movements in Orthodox Judaism, but it is said that the Satmar movement is the largest and most influential in existence today.  The movement actually did not begin in Israel, it began in Hungary and Romania by Grand Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum, the Rabbi of Satu Mare, Romania.  In German, the town’s name is Sathmar, and the Yiddish-speaking population used the name Satmar. 

The largest Satmar community today is in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  The Satmar first came to New York after World War II.  They were hard hit by the nazi troops and dispersed.  Led by Rabbi Teitelbaum they arrived in New York just before the creation of the State of Israel.   

The Satmar are an isolated community.  When you enter their section of Williamsburg, it is like entering another world.  The Satmar Jews use their own bus system, have signs posted in Yiddish, dress in the complete Orthodox fashion, and will use cell phones but do not use computers.  (Despite this – they are somehow on twitter.  https://twitter.com/Satmar_Brooklyn  )  The adult women all wear wigs called “sheitel” or scarved called “tichel” on their heads because natural hair is meant only for their husband.  The men do not cut the hair on their temples.  These long uncut sidelocks are called “payots.” The men also wear “Tzitzis,” long white threads that hang off of the four corners of their tallit (Prayer shawl.)    Men and women are married very young, often as early as 17 in marriages arranged by matchmakers, though the marriages must be consensual on behalf of the couple and the couple’s families.  (This is not “Fiddler on the Roof.”)   It’s incredible how the Satmar are able to preserve their isolated culture and secularism amongst one of the most socio-economically and ethnically diverse cities in the world.  They succeed so well that many did not even know what happened on the fateful day of September 11, 2001.  All they knew was that smoke rose from the distance in Manhattan.  I take my previous statement back.  In many ways, this IS “Fiddler on the Roof.”  Their traditions keep them alive and balancing in the ever changing world. 

When I first entered this isolated Satmar community, it was during the first day of Sukkot.  Sukkot is the “Feast of the Tabernacles” and is a weeklong harvest festival.  Sukkot literally means “booths” which refers to the temporary dwellings that Jews lived in during their 40 years of wandering in the dessert after the exodus from Egypt.  During Sukkot we are supposed to reflect on how fragile we are without the shelter of our homes and bodies.  During these seven days, Jews are supposed to live in temporary huts called “sukkah.”  During my trip to Williamsburg, the roads were filled with sukkah, some rather tiny and some large enough to fit over a hundred people!  Sukkah must have three walls, made out of any material, but the roof must be made from “sekhakh” which means material that comes from the ground such as tree branches, bamboo reeds, palm fronds, or others forms of wood. 

While I was there, the Satmar Jews were carefully examining palm fronds.  The reason for this is Jews are commanded to hold four plants and wave them together during Sukkot.  These four plants are: etrog, lulav (palm frond), hadas, and aravah.  It is extremely important to get the very best of each plants for your observance of Sukkot, so people will examine each plant for hours trying to make sure they get just the right one.  Sometimes, magnifying glasses are even used. 

After finding just the right plants, Jews can go to their sukkah and wish everyone “chag sameach” which means joyful festival. 

So as you walk up and down the street this week, if you see Orthodox Jews standing outside of subway stations or on the sidewalks with palm fronds and etrogs, you know why and can wish them a very joyful festival.  

A very large sukkah

Examine palm fronds for sukkah.