Satmar Bikur Cholim Explained

Satmar Bikur Cholim
Native Name:ביקור חולים דסאטמאר
Native Name Lang:he
Abbreviation:SBC
Established:1956
Founders:Feiga Teitelbaum
Gittel Kahn
Founding Location:Brooklyn, NY
Type:Nonprofit
Status:Charity
Purpose:Bikur cholim
Headquarters:545 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211
Location City:Brooklyn
Location Country:New York, United States
Coordinates:40.7047°N -73.9614°W
Area Served:or
Region:-->
Services:Hospital meals
Transportation to hospitals
Apartments near hospitals
Languages:-->
Owners:-->
Affiliations:Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)

Satmar Bikur Cholim, also known as Bikur Cholim D'Satmar or Ladies Bikur Cholim D'Satmar, is a New York-based non-profit organization which aids Jewish people in New York hospitals. According to its website, it delivers 2,000 meals to hospital patients every week.

Overview

History

Satmar Bikur Cholum was founded in 1956 by the Satmar Rebbetzin Faige Teitelbaum, wife of Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar, together with Gitel Kahn, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[1] [2] [3] Food was prepared in Kahn's kitchen and delivered to hospitalized Jews in the area.[4] The organization has gained a reputation of helping all Jews, regardless of their backgrounds or affiliations.[5] In 2018, NYU Langone Medical Center expelled SBC after 30 years of cooperation, shocking the Orthodox Jewish community.[2]

Services

Currently, the organization runs "Bikur Cholim rooms"  - rooms in hospitals that supply kosher food, including chalav yisrael milk, to patients,[6] and owns apartments located near hospitals for family members of patients to stay in. They also shuttle volunteers, visitors, and patients on a private bus line between Williamsburg and hospitals throughout New York City.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hamodia Staff . Mrs. Gitel Kahn, A"h . Hamodia.com . . 17 January 2021.
  2. Web site: Donn . Yochanan . Bikur Cholim Mystified at Sudden Expulsion From Hospital . Hamodia.com . . 17 January 2021.
  3. Book: Scheinbaum . Rabbi A. Leib . Transmitting the Legacy . 2004 . . 1-57819-360-5 . 315, 316.
  4. Web site: History . yelp.com . . 17 January 2021.
  5. Book: Zakon . Rabbi Nachman . The Jewish Experience: 2,000 Years: A Collection of Significant Events . June 2003 . Shaar Press . 1-57819-496-2 . 214. Second . Satmar's bikur cholim society is famous throughout New York for its many activities to aid all Jews in need of help, without regard to their background or affiliation..
  6. Web site: Jewish - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center . mskcc.org . . 17 January 2021.
  7. Web site: Bus Line Bikur Cholim Williamsburg . chesedspot.org . 17 January 2021.