History
Der Blatt was established in 2000, as a direct result of the Satmar succession feud. Prior to that time, there was only one Satmar newspaper, Der Yid. In the dispute over the succession, Der Yid came under the control of the supporters of Zalman Teitelbaum. This left rival supporters of his brother, Aaron Teitelbaum, without a platform for communication and public relations, prompting them to establish a newspaper of their own.[1][2] The resulting publication promotes Aaron, rather than Zalman, as the legitimate successor of the previous rebbe, Moshe Teitelbaum. The publication adheres to a strict interpretation of tzniut that prohibits photographs of women on its pages. Der Blatt follows Satmar's anti-Zionist stance.[2] Der Yid and Der Blatt function “more or less as official state organs” for Zalman and Aaron Teitelbaum respectively.[1]
In November 2020, the New York Post broke that Der Blatt had participated in a successful scheme to hide the wedding of Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum's grandson.[3] The newspaper admitted its involvement in a later account of the celebration, which was attended by several thousand guests. The organizers of the wedding were fined $15.000 by the city of New York for violating public health measures in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[4][5][1]
