Williamsburg, NY – The Satmar Rebbe Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum interrupted his vacation in the Catskills to take part in a mezuzah-posting ceremony last week at Pardes Feige, a wedding hall in Williamsburg designed to lighten the enormous financial load on parents marrying off their children, and tonight local residents will be streaming into the hall for a dinner to benefit the Satmar tzedokoh fund, Tov Vechessed.
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Only a small group of askonim and community leaders were invited to the mezuzah-posting event, along with Rav Eliezer Kestenbaum and his family. Rav Kestenbaum, who agreed to the Rebbe’s request to fund the construction costs, is well known for his philanthropic work, including the construction of the Satmar residential buildings in Jerusalem’s Ezras Torah neighborhood and serving as Nossi of Kollel Damesek Eliezer.
The finishing touches are now being put in place at the wedding hall to prepare for the first chassunoh, which is scheduled to take place later this week. The hall is completely booked through Pesach.
Another subsidized wedding hall, Pardes Tzvi, is under construction at the same site, the enormous Brochoh Simoh building, which houses a girls’ school.
The initiative follows in the footsteps of the Rebbe’s father, the Berech Moshe zt”l, who introduced various takanos to reduce the cost of hosting simchos. At the new halls a complete wedding package including music, entertainment, flowers and photographers will cost less than $10,000.
The move toward less extravagant weddings is also in keeping with the example set by the Rebbe’s brother, HaRav Aharon Teitelbaum of Kiryas Yoel, who instituted wedding guidelines two years ago that are now followed by thousands of Chassidim in New York and other locations around the world.
All photos credit to: אתרוג
finally some positive deeds out of satmar.
is it for their chasidim only?
Now that’s noble!
Kain Yirbu.
This is a very constructive solution to the wedding crisis.
Just consider the amount of stress and agmas nefesh (which could lead to much worse health issues) that is avoided or relieved by cutting down on the costs. Especially since the standard does not change. This is not a lunchroom/plasticware solution, it is a beautiful hall with all the amenities!
It seems to work great in Monsey with the new hall. I thought the wall mounted cameras and DJ were fantastic – no photographer with ladder/shlemazel with flash standing in your way!
Can’t wait until this comes to BP…
B”H. Nice to see that he is going in the ways of his brother, the other Satmar Rebbe, who already opened many such halls in BP and Williamsburg.
I hope all others will follow these 2 Rebbes, and change all the halls to this format, so that we can all make our weddings in this fashion.
BTW, does anyone know when the hall owned by the baal tzedokek Rabbi Leser, Ateres Shlome, is reopening? This hall also saved many people thousands when making a wedding.
It’s about time, that at least SOME people, have come to the realiziation that making a cheap chassunah is THE way to go. The abnormal spending on such temporary issues as Flowers, Music, Bars etc etc. that lasts for one night is INSANE.
I understand that there are people who can afford it and they have a “right” to do with thier money as they please. The problem though is, that the people that CAN NOT afford it were embarrased to do things on a lesser and more affordable scale. People are in debt for the rest of thier lifes paying back loans which they have taken out in order to make lavish affairs when they absolutely could NOT afford it, just so he can do a shidduch with his child. What a disgrace.
The good news though is, like i said, that the tide is changing b”h. It’s way way past its time but never too late. Hopefully less people will get sick from the pressure thay carry with them to repay loans which they can’t repay. And even for those who CAN afford it, let’s wake up and realize how rediculous it is to throw so much money in the garbage for things that last a couple of hours.
Oif Simchas by inz ale iy”h.
The hall looks nice and not a bad idea. Just an average wedding in Sefardi communities will cost $35,000 easily which can be a lot if you have 6 kids to marry off.
$10,000 per wedding is too much. Who needs flowers? Music and entertainment can be done using a CD player and food can be Challah, soda, and sponge cake served on paper plates. Todays girls are spoiled and the parents are intimidated by family and friends. We must stop this madness now before we all go bankrupt due to this stupidity.
What about the food? How much does THAT cost (I thought it’s the biggest expense)?
Some one should donate some dresses (gowns) to be included in the price.
That would save another grand ($1000.00) or two.
20 yrs ago satmar had a hall in bp torah vyira open to all great prices. I dont know how it looks today.
Now, the Rebbes should take their own advice. We don’t need to see the giant tents erected for when the daughter of Grand Rebbe A marries the great talmud chuchum son of Rebbe B.
Wow! this is great! thank you to reb lazer kestenbaum for donating to this worthy cause.
They should not allow upgrades to the packages otherwise there will be no standard set.
Lets get real. Ten thousand dollars is not enough for a chassanah. While most MO and yeshivish weeding affairs cost upwards of $50,000-75,000, even the most frugal chassid cannot be mekayem the mitzvah of mesameach chasan v’kallah on such a pitiful budget.
not a bad looking hall…
Reb lezer deserves to get credit where its due, but the truth being told, satmar can muster the money to rebuild this hall without the deep pockets of reb lezer, what we need is reb lezer marrying off ”his” child there, that will be the biggest step to destigmatize this hall, I know for the poor melamdim it won’t be a problem but we need the balbatisha people to show that you can make a chasuna over there and still be balbatish
great jo reb lazer whatever the rabbe asks him to do or donate he does he is a great chusid kol hakavod
Looks elegant good job
“Thats because he has to spend $1,000 on a shtreimal and $500 on a beketsha”
You can rent a nice shtreiemel and beketsha for a hundred dollars for the evening so I’m not sure what you are talking about
I was just there, its design and elegance is comparable to any upscale wedding hall.
Kudos to Rabbi Zalmen Teitelbaum the satmar rebbe,and to the philontrop Rabbi Kestenbaum, and to all involved in this major hit.
people spend ten thou for the aufruf alone
Reply to # 27 – Reb Lazer married off all his married children in V’Yoel Moshe on Bedford Avenue which is not half as nice as the new hall. I wouldn’t be surprised if he marries off his youngest child in the new hall. He is a perfect example of a well to do person who does not waste his money on “Gashmious Narishkitin”. Gantz Klal Yisroel can learn from him.
The deal is a follows: $8000
You get full meal for 125 couples followed by a full hot-buffet for another 200 people, includes photgrapher, flowers, and music.
this hall looks a lot nicer than any of the other local heimishe halls that i have seen so far! Tizku Limitzvos!
What does the $10,000 cover?
If Bloomberg ran the show there would be no expense at all for anyone making a chasunah because everyone working from the chef down would be volunteering.
3 Sheva Brachos including Shabos cost me over $30,000. Without Mezamrim, which would have cost even more…..
That is not counting the wedding……
In Monsey, in Viznitz weddings have been reasonable for years, much less than $10,000, no flowers, one man band, and no extras.
In Williamsburg it was always very cheap in Bracha Sima, it was just run down and not “fitting” enough for an elegant affair. There was always Bais Rochel, cheap and delicious, and VYoel Moshe has been around for a long while.
When people will start making simchas according to their means, and not their neighbors’ means, then no one will have to go bankrupt.
it’s very good & nice .. but how come in the other halls like V’yoiel Moishe & Ateres Avrum in willi. and Bais Ruchel in K.J. & Ateres Chaye & torah veyirah in B.P. which all belongs to Satmar org. the prices are stiil sky high with minmum of 185 – 225 couple why ? make all halls which were build by donations for the purpose to be cheap … why rob your own people ? do the same as (Bruche Sime) new Ateres Fiege & you’ll be praised by the whole world & especialy in heaven
Rev Lazer has a kallah in his house now, the plan is that he’ll make the wedding in this hall, the men in 1 hall, and the women in the other one,
BTW, reply to #3; to make a wedding in this hall you don’t have to be a member in Satmar, there’s only one exception; someone who carries with the Eirev in williamsburg cannot rent out the hall,
HaRav Shloimie Rosenbaum of Tzfas, Shlita, instituted such takanos many years ago among his talmidim. Baruch Hashem the community benefited from them. He is truly a gadol and one of the lamed vav. His wife even has a wedding cake gemach, where she bakes the cakes herself for the chosson and kalla. They should both live and be well.
B”H that someone is taking steps to stop the madness. There is no reason for people to be pushed into debt just to marry off a child. I aplaud Satmar & especially Reb Lazar, he is always available to step forward and be an example to the rest of the us. May we all be Zoche to follow in Reb Lazar’s unselfish ways.
It is nice to see after Reb aron has been fighting for this for two years and built two such halls in kiryas yoel and got rose castle in williamsburg to join and built the hillman plaza hall in bp that R’ Zalmen is finally joining him it took a while but he changed his mind
Sameach tesamach simcha halls in williamsburg were the first ”pioneer” cheap halls for smaller simchos by Satmar (Reb Zalmen), now many are copying it, in Williamsburg there’s now also menicha vesimchu, and the hillman plaza in BP just tried to copy the idea, it’s just quite more expensive than sameach halls.
When the news broke almost a year ago about this new “Pardes” halls, one older hall in Williamsburg (privately owned, once the most expensive hall in the area), that was very slow, almost empty every night (since the opening of his competitions Ateres Avraham and Ateres chaya) and is privately owned, decided to take a “lift” on that “Pardes idea”, and also dropped his prices drastically, in order to pick up some business, but his prices are $5,000 more than Pardes, and upgrades are available.
In any case, everyone doing something positive deserves credit, may it be pardes or rose castle, kudos to all of them.
It’s an unbelievable deed of goodness and kindness, although all expenses involved in marrying a child may see a break, the worst feeling is spilling thousands of dollars for “just “5 hours” on the wedding night! how absurd to pay $20,000-$50,000 for just a few hours, ridiculous.
Furniture (that may also see a drastic cut) will eventually stay with the couple for years to come, jewelry they will wear for years to come, but just for a few hours? non sense.
we should all demand from our kehillos to provide such amenities and services like the satmer’s did.
I think the best way to save money on these wedding is to have group weddings. I mean let’s be honest, all the chassidim look the same so nobody will be the wiser.
I have heard of the great Rav Shloime Rosenbaum and his takanos in Tzfas. Among the more common money saving ideas, he also instituted several unique ones such as:
1. Only using pita for the shawarma and not the larger and more expensive aish tanor.
2. Having only the husbands get dessert since the wives just complain later that they didn’t need the calories and shouldn’t have eaten it anyway.
3. Making soup mandatory since it fills up guests so they eat less of the more expensive main course.
Are the women upstairs? I couldn’t tell form the pictures if the hall is split like that.
I certainly hope not.
Kol Hakavod Satmer, Reb Aharon who started it and Reb Zalmen who follows it may they all be blessed from Heaven
what is the address to this hall and is it being limited only to chasidishe?
Could someone please give the contact information for the new Satmar Wedding Halls?
For my family, who are not wealthy and wishing to still make a wedding that will make the Kallah feel happy and not like a “nebach”, it would be the answer to many prayers.
Thank you Kehillas Satmar for the outstanding chesed in so many areas