London – Statement on behalf of the Beis Rochel D’Satmar School in response to The Independent, 2nd September 2015
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The Independent newspaper has falsely accused the Beis Rochel D’Satmar Girls’ school in London, of teaching its students that “non-Jews are evil” in a recent report. When celebrating the 21st Kislev, the day that the Satmar community was saved from the horrors of the Holocaust as their founding Rabbi, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum escaped the Nazis, the students are reminded of their history by studying about that time period. The students were given a worksheet during lessons in the context of learning about the Nazis and their history and asked to answer questions based on what they had learned.
The worksheet referred to Nazis as ‘goyim’. The newspaper failed to understand the context and mischievously suggested that children were being taught that goyim rather than Nazis, were evil.
The Independent falsely accused the school of fearmongering, encouraging young children to believe that all non-Jews are evil. Although this is simply not the case, to avoid any confusion the school will explicitly refer to Nazis next year when teaching its students about the history of the 21st Kislev.
Speaking on behalf of the school Shimon Cohen said: “The leaflet that the Independent refers to was handed out on the 21st Kislev, when the Satmar community celebrates the rescue of their founding rabbi from horrors of the Holocaust. This was explained in detail to the Independent, but they chose to ignore the facts and pursue their mischievous story.”
“The questions were only talking about the specific event, but there is no Yiddish word for Nazis. The suggestion that children are being taught that non-Jews are evil is nonsense and simply false. They are being taught that Nazis are evil.”
“It is almost like, if you are sitting around a seder table and you say that the goyim made us build pyramids, you are obviously talking about the Egyptians. You’re not talking about the Welsh. It’s just daft.”
Mr Cohen said that, next year, the school would explicitly refer to Nazis to avoid any confusion. “We will be very clear to avoid any misunderstanding,” he said. “But then, for Yiddish speakers, it was clear. This is a storm in a tea-cup.”
We must start showing the Reboino Shel Oilom that we do have compassion for All human beings.
This Rosh Hashana when we Daven for a Refuah Seleimo, we will make sure to include ALL of mankind that are R”L not well, incuding Goyim.
We will teach our children that we must return an Aveido to a goy, not just for Kiddush Hashem, but because he is your fellow human being. The same goes for To’os Akim, Hashovas Pikdoinoi, etc.
HKB”H will repay us Middoh Kneged Middoh, and Never-Again will there be any hatred towards Yidden.
satmar once again making chilul hashem with their nonsense and offensive worldviews.they definitely mistrust all goyim
Awesome response by Satmar.
This is an orchestrated campaign by those who are seeking to leave Judaism.
This whole libel was created by Gesher EU in London which is the equivalent of Footsteps. They are having a real hard time to convince observant Jews to leave everything and live a life without Torah Umitzvos like Goyim.Opps sorry to be political correct as “non-Jews”.
Because observant/orthodox/ultra-orthodox Jews are raised with strict religious adherence it is difficult for these lowlife organizations to convince the youngsters who seek to leave the fold to eat beacon at their gatherings.
They are just like the Maskilim and the yesveskes in Russia who informed on religious Jews to the NKVD.
These Chevra must be fought legally and with pen articles with all our might to expose them for what they really are.
Good thing this newspaper did not see some of the things they say about Zionism and the State of Israel. I would love to see and explanatory statement on that.
Hmm….last time I checked, satmar was decimated during the war. The rebbe was saved through the efforts of tje Zionist.
Read the the Satmar Rebbe’s, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum’s, sefarim to see how he despised goyim. Read Divrei Yoel, etc.
The best excuse they can come up with is that there’s no Yiddish word for Nazis?
But they’ll invent one for next year!
What a joke.
That is – a tempest in a teapot. Was this worksheet in Yiddish or English ? If Yiddish, who brought to the attention of the Independent, and if English why not specify the yemach shemum Nazis?
This is utterly stupid!
Goy is the yiddish/loshon hakodesh word for NON JEW. Wanna complain? Dial 800-The-Lord.
I’ve been accused of all sorts of things for using that word. I WILL NEVER EVER EVER APOLOGIZE FOR USING THAT WORD WHICH HKBH GAVE US.
any holocaust surviver will tell you there are ” goyim ” That includes goyim that risked all to save a jew . and some that slaughtered the jews.
Lihavdil were the Nazis. My mother and father Z`l never called Nazis goyim. and tey spoke fluent yiddish and polish. In fact that’s all they knew.
The article and shimon cohen are mistaken. A revision of history.by satmer drivel.
Wrong…Wrong…and Wrong. DEAD WRONG!!!
There’s a mitzvah of AHAVAS Yisroel. Not so C”V with ainoYehudim. That’s where outward actions come to play. Acting friendly, acting respectfully, etc. Make a Kiddush Hashem.
To equate an aino yehudi with a Yehudi is the EXPLICIT ISSUR of לא תחנן. Sorry, that’s HaShem’s Torah, take it up with HIM. I haven’t any idea what your talking about “other children”. We are HaShem’s children – בנים אתם לה’ אלוקיכם, again, it’s HaShem’s sole decision, take it up with Him.
There’s NO KITRUG following HaShem’s explicit commands.
This is obviously not the ideal place to discuss these fundamental concepts. You’d best go to a qualified Rov or etc. to get your Yiddishe Hashkafos in order.
To #18
The next time you hear somebody bewildered and complaining about the Germans, “how could a human being with a heart do this to such young children?”, just tell him, ‘they were just following their god, take it up with him’.
We Yidden are different because we know how to act Outward.