<b>Historical Letter from Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Satmar and the Pupa Rebbe on the Jewish Boycott of Romania in 1938 </b> <div> <b>*</b> </div> <div> <b><br /></b> </div> <div> <b><br /></b> </div> <div> An official letter of appeal issued by the Beis Din of the Satmar community in Satmar to the Agudas HaRabbanim of America in New York, requesting that the Jewish-owned business “Schleibovitz, ” located in Satmar, be exempted from the Jewish economic boycott imposed against Romania. </div> <div> <br /> </div> <div> <b>Background</b>: </div> <div> At the end of 1937, the openly antisemitic government of Octavian Goga rose to power in Romania. It swiftly enacted a series of harsh antisemitic laws, culminating in the revocation of citizenship from all Jews who had received it after the First World War. The immediate result was that approximately 225,000 (!) Jews were stripped of their citizenship, left without basic civil rights, and severely restricted in their ability to earn a livelihood. </div> <div> <br /> </div> <div> </div> <div> In response, Jewish organizations in Romania, France, England, the United States, and beyond called for a comprehensive economic boycott of Romania. Jews refrained from purchasing Romanian goods, withdrew deposits from banks, and delayed various tax payments. In fact, the antisemitic government collapsed a very short time after its appointment, in part due to the intense international pressure and the crisis brought about by its anti-Jewish policies. </div> <div> <br /> </div> <div> </div> <div> The present letter was written during that very period. When the rabbanim of Satmar learned of the boycott against Romanian products, they sent this appeal to America, requesting that the Schleibovitz business in their city be excluded from the boycott, since it was Jewish-owned and provided employment for many Jews. </div> <div> <br /> </div> <div> </div> <div> The letter bears the signatures of three of the city’s leading figures: </div> <div> &nbsp;1. <b>Rabbi Chaim Halberstam</b>, Raavad of Satmar, son of Rabbi Shalom Eliezer of Ratzfert and grandson of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz; </div> <div> &nbsp;2. <b>Rabbi Yosef Greenwald</b>, later the Pupa Rebbe; </div> <div> &nbsp;3. <b>Rabbi Yeshaya Kleinman</b>, nephew of Rabbi Yeshaya of Kerestir and one of the dayanim of Satmar. </div> <div> <br /> </div> <div> </div> <div> <b>Rabbi Chaim Halberstam (1885–1942), </b>Raavad of Satmar, was the eldest son of Rabbi Shalom Eliezer of Ratzfert, and was especially beloved by his grandfather, the Rebbe of Hornosteipel, with whom he exchanged Shu”t correspondence. He was known as a zealous defender of Torah and a fearless fighter for its honor. </div> <div> <br /> </div> <div> </div> <div> <b>The Pupa Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Greenwald (1903–1984), </b> son of Rabbi Yaakov Yechezkel Greenwald and grandson of the Arugos Habosem, studied under his father and his great-uncle, the Keren L’Dovid. After his marriage, he served as a dayan in Satmar and as the right-hand of the Keren L’Dovid in leading the yeshiva. After the war, he emigrated to the United States, where he rebuilt his beis medrash and yeshiva. Rabbi Aharon of Belz testified that he had never tasted sin in his lifetime. </div> <div> <b><br /></b> </div> <div> </div> <div> <b>Rabbi Yeshaya Kleinman (1872–1938), </b> one of the foremost halachic authorities in Satmar, was raised in the home of his uncle, Rabbi Yeshaya of Kerestir, and accompanied him on his travels to the tzaddikim of the generation. He later studied under the Arugos Habosem and became his primary disciple. Through his teacher’s efforts, he was appointed as a dayan in Satmar in 1897 and became one of the central figures in the city’s leadership. </div> <div> <br /> </div> <div> </div> <div> <b>Satmar, 1938.</b> Official stationery of the Satmar Beis Din. Scribal script, with three autograph signatures of the aforementioned rabbanim. </div> <div> <b>A leaf the size of</b>: Approx. 20.5 &times; 34 cm. <b>Condition</b>: Good; minor tears along the fold lines. </div> <div> <br /> </div>