Auction 048 Rebbes of Satmar, Sighet and Bobov - Books, Objects, Letters and Manuscripts, Broadsides and Printed Items
Two Books Against the Appointment of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum as Rabbi of Satmar – Sefat Emet / Shamoa Ben Achechem – Satmar, 1929
Two polemic books printed during the course of the battle against the appointment of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum as rabbi of Satmar:
1. Sefat Emet. Satmar: Meir Leib Hirsch, [1929].
[8], 76, [8] leaves. 22 cm. Good condition. Stains, including dark stains. Creases and wear. Inscriptions and stamps. New leather binding.
2. Shamoa Ben Achechem. Satmar, [1929].
[1], 13, [1] pages. 15.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains and wear. Tears, including open tear to final leaf, affecting text. Paper repairs on verso of title page and final leaf. Detached leaves. Inscriptions and stamps. New leather binding.
The Controversy Over the Satmar Rabbinate
In summer 1928, shortly after the passing of R. Eliezer David Grünwald Rabbi of Satmar, elections were held to appoint a new rabbi. Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum won the elections, yet several members of the community attempted to disqualify the election, claiming that the results were forged. The severe controversy over the election lasted for six years, during which polemic writings were published on each side, and several repeated elections were conducted. Only in 1934 was R. Yoel Teitelbaum finally appointed as rabbi of Satmar.
The present two books present the point of view of those who opposed the appointment of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum. With approbations and responsa by several Torah leaders, including the Minchat Elazar of Munkacs, R. Shalom Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzfert, R. David Sperber of Braşov and others.