As a Brooklyn Hasidic leader lay on his deathbed, police are anticipating violent clashes among his followers after his death.
According to the New York Post, Satmar Grand Rebbe Moses Teitelbaum has been hospitalized for more than a week suffering from kidney failure, pneumonia and a tumor. The 91-year-old grand rebbe?s death sets the stage for a succession battle between his two sons, Aaron and Zalman. Aaron heads the Satmar faction in upstate New York, while Zalman leads a Williamsburg synagogue.
When Teitelbaum passes away, both factions agree there should be two funerals, one in Brooklyn and one in Orange County. NYC police are planning to close streets, shut down an exit off the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and put up barriers to control what they expect to be one of the city?s largest funerals.