New York – Satmar Chasidim Worldwide Mourn Loss Of Beloved Gabbai

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    (L-R)  Gabbi Reb Ezriel Glick, Great Grand Satmar Rebbe Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, Gabbi Reb Yosef Ahskanzi.New York – Thousands turned out today for the levaya of Reb Ezriel Glick, the devoted gabbai who served three generations of Satmar grand rabbis over a period of more than 60 years.

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    Rabbi Glick was niftar early this morning at the age of 88.

    Rabbi Glick was born in Krula, Hungary in 1926 to Reb Shia Glick, who served as an informal rabbi in Krula and ran a small yeshiva, and his wife Esther. According to Satmar historian, Rabbi Shlomo Yaakov Gelbman, Rabbi Glick was born just days after the Satmar Rebbe Reb Yoel, came to take over the rabbonus of Krula and Ezriel Glick’s bris marked the first time that the Satmar Rebbe served as sandek in the town.

    “Even from his earliest days, Reb Ezriel was raised within the daled amos of the Satmar Rebbe,” Rabbi Gelbman told VIN News.

    As a bochur, Rabbi Glick learned in the yeshiva of R’ Shmiel Gross, the son in law of R’ Shaya Kerestier until the war broke out. Rabbi Glick and his younger brother Chezkel were the only two family members who survived World War II and after the war Rabbi Glick and his new bride Sheindel, the daughter of Leizer Leimsider, lived in the Hungarian town of Kovotsh Hauze for three years where he worked as a shoichet.

    According to grandson Yoely Glick officials offered the young couple $10,000 to move to Cincinatti when they arrived in New York.

    “My grandfather told them that he was not going to Cincinatti, he was going to his rabbi,” said Glick. “They looked at him as if he was crazy but he refused to take the money, moving instead to Williamsburg to be near the Rebbe.”

    Rabbi Glick learned in the Satmar yeshiva in Williamsburg, ultimately taking a job as a shoichet with Meal Mart, leaving work every day at noon and spending his time at the Rebbe’s house.

    “He would help out a little,” said Rabbi Gelbman. “If the Rebbe had to go somewhere he would go along with him.”

    It wasn’t until 1968 that Rabbi Glick became a full time gabbai to the Rebbe.
    Hundreds take part at the funeral inside the Satmar Shul on Rodney street

    “The Rebbe had a stroke and he asked Rabbi Glick to stay in his house,” said Rabbi Gelbman. “He left his wife and used to go home just one day a week. The rest of the week, he stayed in the Rebbe’s house as his meshamesh. The Rebbe got so used to Rabbi Glick that he had difficulty staying without him.”

    Yoely Glick remembers both of his grandparents being exceptionally devoted to the Satmar Rebbe.

    “He would rarely come home during those twelve years and the big thing is that it was my grandmother who encouraged him to do that,” noted Glick. “People today could never believe how supportive they both were of the Rebbe.”

    Rabbi Glick and the Satmar Rebbe were inordinately close and Rabbi Glick accompanied the Rebbe on three trips to Israel. On the way home from one of those trips, they stopped over in Switzerland where Rabbi Glick received word that his wife had just given birth to a baby boy.

    “The Rebbe was so close to my grandfather that at first the Rebbe first suggested that my grandfather send the shver as a shaliach to take his place,” said Glick. “After discussing the matter further the Rebbe told my grandfather that if he could find a flight home that night or the next day he should go home and my grandfather ended up coming home for the bris.”

    In another instance, one of Rabbi Glicks’s sons was getting married in Belgium and at the Rebbe’s request, Rabbi Glick cut his trip short, staying in Belgium for just a few days and foregoing most of the sheva brachos in order to be by the Rebbe’s side.
    A more recent photo of Rav Glick
    Rabbi Glick was known for maintaining a watchful eye on the Rebbe’s health.

    Following the death of the Divrei Yoel in 1979, Rabbi Glick went on to serve his successor, Reb Moshe Teitelbaum, continuing in his duties as gabbai until his death in 2006. Rabbi Glick continued on in his gabbaus with Reb Zalman Leib Teitelbaum and the two were reportedly very close, with Rabbi Glick becoming a trusted confidant of Reb Zalman Leib.

    Rabbi Glick’s health began to deteriorate approximately two months ago, taking a sharp turn for the worse two days ago.

    The levaya was held this morning at the main Satmar Shul on Rodney Street, with Rabbi Glick accorded a rare honor, having his aron brought into the Beis Medrash. The maspidim included Rabbi Shaul Perelstein, the Satmar Rebbe Reb Zalman Leib, the niftar’s brother R’ Chazkel Glick, and his son in law Rabbi Naftali Blumenfeld.

    A second levaya was held in Kiryas Joel at the Satmar Shul on Garfield Road. He was eulogized by the Shinyiver Rebbe, Rabbi Wagschall, Rabbi Getzel Berkowitz Satmar Dyan, Rabbi Aryeh Rosenfeld, nephews Rabbi Meilich Glick, Rabbi Yankel Glick and Rabbi Shlomo Glick, Rabbi Yeshaya Yaakov Silber and Rabbi Duvid Rosenberg of Camp Rav Tov.

    Rabbi Glick was laid to rest at the new portion of the Satmar bais hachaim in Kiryas Yoel and is survived by his brother R’ Cheskel Glick, his sons R’ Shea, R’ Duvid, R’ Shloime Hersh, R’ Meilich and R’ Yankel, his daughters Mrs. Esther Klein, Mrs. Rochel Teitelbaum, Mrs. Kreindel Blumenfeld and Mrs. Chany Stauber as well as well over a hundred grandchildren and great grandchildren.




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    7 Comments
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    9 years ago

    חבל על דאבדין …..

    9 years ago

    Its clearly something only the Satmar would understand. Leaving your wife and children alone for years and missing the birth of your children

    Insider
    Insider
    9 years ago

    His second wife,a former Vienner Rebbetzin, passed away just a very few weeks ago.

    9 years ago

    In our days, such devotion to the Rebbe is almost unheard of. Personally, I’m not surprised at all & I am not Satmar. But I do understand the total devotion to a Rebbe by rare individuals.

    YF2018
    YF2018
    9 years ago

    its impossible for this generation to understand who Satmar Rabbi Z”l was. for that reason we cant judge a man not coming home for 12 years and stays their to help the rabbi 24/7 “with support of his wife and children” R’ Ezriel never in his life take a dollar from someone who wanna go into the rabbi. the zachus zol meigin zein