Satmar Cancels Massive Annual Chuf Alef Kislev Celebrations, Due to COVID-19

The Satmar Kehilla announced that COVID-19 has necessitated the cancellation of the annual Chuf Alef Kislev celebration, which is usually attended by thousands of Yidden in New York.

    Usually, on Chuf Alef Kislev, which this year falls on Dec. 7, just more than a week away, The Satmar Rebbe leads the celebration that marks the day on which Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, z"tl, the founder of Satmar Chassidus in America, was rescued from the Nazis in 1944.

    The Satmar Rebbe, who is known as the Divrei Yoel, was among more than 1600 people who were rescued by train from Hungary after Rudolf Kastner, one of the leaders of Budapest’s Vaadat Ezra V’Hatzalah, provided money, diamonds and gold to Adolph Eichmann, in exchange for the Yidden’s freedom.

    Not surprisingly, Eichmann did not honor the deal and had the train sent to Bergen Belsen, but after four months of negotiations, the Yidden finally were brought to freedom in Switzerland.

   This year's Chuf Alef Kislev celebrations, which is also the annual fundraiser for the Satmar mosdos, will be held privately