Kiryas Joel, NY – At a benefit for Kiryas Joel organizations, Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, generally known as the Satmar Rebbe, called on Chassidim not to send their children to music lessons.
Though he normally speaks out on key issues at the annual gathering held on 21 Kislev to mark the first Satmar Rebbe’s miraculous escape from Auschwitz, this year he raised important points a few weeks earlier at a dinner held at Beis Rochel.
He placed emphasis on instructing his followers not to bring “keilim temei’im” into their homes, referring to Internet and video. According to Israeli website Maariv, the Rebbe then surprised listeners by speaking out against music lessons.
He urged his followers to beware of giving tzedokoh to “outside” organizations that reportedly hold private fundraising events featuring screened presentations, saying these events are inappropriate for “the holy city of Kiryas Yoel.”