The visit of the Satmar rebbe Zalman Teitelbaum to Israel this week has reportedly disappointed some of his followers in the Holy Land because of dashed hopes that he would bring much-needed donations on a grand scale.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
But despite promises that he would give Hassidim an extravagant sum during his visit to Israel, that figure has never materialized.
In total, he has reportedly brought with him some five million dollars, which is not enough to boost the financial well-being of the various Satmar communities in Israel.
The hassidic court in Israel has refused to accept subsidies from the state, unlike other ultra-Orthodox groups, and therefore relies entirely on donations from its headquarters outside Israel.
"This is a disgrace," said one haredi blogger, who noted that some communities affiliated with Satmar received just several thousands of dollars from the rebbe.
"Toldos Aharon got $27,000, which is not enough even to buy bread and milk for its institutions. It is just laughable. The Kehilat Monsey rabbi in Beit Shemesh got 8,000 dollars, and this is fewer than $2 a day per child."
