SATMAR
in metro new york
Williamsburg in Brooklyn is home to around 60,000 Satmar Jewish people. It’s sure to continue growing as Satmar families average at least six children and they celebrate 800 weddings each year in Williamsburg. There are about 156,000 Satmar Jewish people living in Metro New York, making them North America’s largest Hasidic Jewish group. While Satmar Judaism originated in Satmar, Hungary, it moved to NYC in 1944 with its founder, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaumhe, who was able to escape Nazism in Hungary. It has since become one of the largest Hasidic movements in the world.
Being strongly anti-Zionist, Satmar Jewish people are often at odds with other Jewish groups which are supportive of the nation of Israel. But being at odds with others, or with each other, is not uncommon for Satmar Jewish people. The successor to the founder was his nephew, Moshe Teitelbaumhe. Upon Rabbi Moshe’s death in 2006, his two sons, Aharon and Zalman have vied strongly for influence and leadership, creating a schism within Satmar Judaism. Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum leads the Satmars of Williamsburg and Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum leads the Satmars of Kiryas Joel. (As the Satmar population had grown large, in the 1970s, they began constructing a village in upstate New York called Kiryas Joel. The all-Hasidic village would allow the Satmars to be more isolated from the secular world than crowded Brooklyn).

Population estimate was derived from the Historical Atlas of Hasidism by Marcin Wodziński. At the time of the book’s research (2016), there were 21,165 Satmar Jewish households in Metro New York. For a 2021 estimate, five more years were added at a 4.3% annual growth rate times an average household size of 6 (see Census Based Estimation of the Hasidic Jewish Population by Joshua Comenetz and census data on Kiryas Joel). That total comes to an estimated 156,744 Satmar in Metro New York in 2021.
Fun Facts
- Kiryas Joel, NY officially became Palm Tree, NY in 2019, though palm trees do not grow there. “Palm tree” is an English translation of the Satmar rabbi’s surname, Teitelbaum.
- Gottlieb’s Restaurant & Delicatessen and Satmar Meat Market and Take Out Business are both located in Brooklyn and are popular among Satmar Jewish people.
- B & H Photo Video is a thriving electronics business in NYC. It is owned by a Satmar Jewish family and employs over 2,000 people, many of whom are Satmar. However, as Satmar Jewish people frown on using modern electronics, many B & H Photo Video employees do not use their own products.

Religious Life
Congregation Yetev Lev D Satmar is the biggest synagogue in Williamsburg with a capacity for 7,000 people. These are followers of Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum.
Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum leads a synagogue at 152 Rodney Street. He also controls approximately ten smaller synagogues and separate schools for boys and girls in Williamsburg and elsewhere that have over 10,000 students.
Prayer Gallery
Unreached people groups can also be viewed as "hidden" people groups (i.e., they are largely unnoticed and unaffected by the global Body of Christ). In the prayer gallery section below, as well as through the Google Earth prayerwalk tool, you can visualize these hidden people group communities. By doing so, we pray God gives you insight into how to pray through what you see. By scrolling through major points of interest in the prayer gallery section, pray for people you see, and pray that the peace and hope of Jesus will become known to people who frequent these places. Through the Google Earth prayerwalk tool linked at the bottom of the page, you can virtually prayerwalk through the community, praying "on site with insight." You could also take the route and points of interest from that tool and save them to your "Google Maps" to prayerwalk in person. Allow the following three steps to guide your prayers using these tools, and try prayerwalking with another person or small group! God hears the voice of His people, and He responds to our prayers!
1. Praise and Thanksgiving
Praise God for who He is. Thank Him for His blessings and salvation that is extended to all peoples. Praise and thank Him for appointing the time and boundaries of this people group's presence in North America so that they might seek Him and find Him (Acts 17:26). Pray Scriptures that come to mind about His glory being made known among all peoples and nations (e.g., Rev 7:9-10).
2. Pray for Laborers
Luke 10:2 says “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Pray for God's laborers to share Christ's love through hospitality to this people group. Pray for laborers among this community to establish loving relationships and proclaim the gospel. Pray for Christians to emerge from within this people group who will reach their friends and family members.
3. Pray for Understanding and Receptivity
Most members of unreached people group communities remain unreached because they have failed to hear the gospel in ways they can understand. Others have heard the gospel but have many barriers to overcome before receiving the gospel. Pray that this community will understand the gospel. Pray for God to draw them to Jesus and remove the barriers that keep them from salvation in Christ.
Congregation Yetev Lev d’Satmar
(Kiryas Joel, NY)
This is the largest Satmar synagogue in the Satmar village of Kiryas Joel in Orange County. Kiryas Joel has close to 30,000 residents, and it was exclusively formed to help the Haredi Jewish community, and particularly the Satmar, practice their faith and way of life in an isolated enclave.
Congregation Yetev Lev d’Satmar
(Hooper St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
The Satmar are split into two main factions, primarily based on loyalty to rival rebbes. This synagogue was built by followers of Aaron Teitelbaum. It has been dubbed the “miracle synagoge” because it was built in a couple of weeks. Williamsburg has the largest concentration of Satmar in the world.
Haredim in North America Overview Page
Visit this page to learn general information about Haredi communities in North America and their religious beliefs. Also, discover resources to help share Jesus with them in their language.
Virtual Prayerwalk among the Satmar Community in Metro New York
Prayerwalk through some of the main Satmar restaurants, places of worship, and businesses in Metro New York using a tool we developed in Google Earth. You could also do a prayerwalk in person using the same points of interest.