Hasidic holy war in a Brooklyn synagogue

Patrick Gallahue:

A brawl broke out in a Brooklyn synagogue yesterday morning, forcing dozens of cops in riot gear to pull worshippers from their house of prayer, in the latest eruption of a Hasidic holy war.

Yesterday's melee, which included punches, slaps and beard-pulling, broke out between clashing factions of the Satmar Hasidic sect in Williamsburg and ended with cops in helmets closing down streets to restore order on a Jewish holiday, Shmini Atzeret.

"There was chaos," said worshipper Joel Klein, 29, who said he was pulled from the Yetev Lev Bikur Cholim synagogue on Rodney Street by cops. "It was like a war zone."

Cops and witnesses said thousands were involved in the fight.

The bitter feud dates back to a longstanding dispute between two brothers who both claim to lead the Williamsburg Satmar congregation and its system of rabbinical yeshivas, religious schools and social services.

The grand rebbe of the ultra-conservative Satmars, Moshe Teitelbaum, picked Zalman in 1999 to lead the Brooklyn congregation, over his elder son, Aaron, who continues to lead another congregation in upstate Kiryas Joel.

The congregation fractured into rival boards that held separate elections and each side claimed victory. A law suit was filed for control of the congregation's board, but a Brooklyn judge ruled last year that it was not the court's job to interfere in the grand rebbe's decision.

But an upstate judge's decision last week — which some interpreted as leaving Aaron's ally, Berl Friedman, to be the corporate leader of the Brooklyn congregation — sparked yesterday's religious rumble.

When Friedman entered the synagogue at about 8:30 a.m., people began shouting and shoving matches ensued between the hundreds of worshippers, witnesses said. As the scrimmage elevated, fights spilled out into the streets.

By the time cops arrived, "there were a couple thousand people in the streets — just tons of people in the streets," a police source said.

Cops were forced to shut down several blocks in the neighborhood.

Klein and other supporters of Aaron Teitelbaum claim police only pulled their supporters out of the synagogue. Moshe Koaen, who was thrown out, said police ripped his Tallit shawl, which is worn during prayer, off his shoulders.

"They [the police] said, 'Are you with the Friedman group? Get out of here,' " Koaen recounted.

But a police spokesman denied it: "We removed some unruly people who arrived at the synagogue after the service had started."

A source said that Aaron's side bused as many as 800 people in from Kiryas Joel and tried to force their way into the synagogue.

No arrests were made, but seven of Aaron's supporters were issued summonses for illegally acting as security guards.

Only one person was treated for injuries. Cops said that person suffered contusions when he was slapped by one of the congregants during the scuffle.

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