ארטיקל פון תשמ"א אין נ. י. טיימס
The Grand Rabbi of Belz is expected to arrive in New York from Israel this morning amid heavy police security following threats of violence by a rival Hasidic sect in Brooklyn over religious issues.
The ultra-Orthodox rabbi, Yisucher Dov Rokeach, is coming to lead a Belz convocation in Brooklyn and to ''strengthen the morale'' of his followers, according to Rabbi Michael Halberstam, an aide to the grand rabbi.
Preparations were being made at the Belz headquarters on 16th Avenue in Borough Park yesterday to greet the grand rabbi and several hundred of his followers. 'Slander and Physical Attacks'
Rabbi Halberstam said that the reinforcement of the morale of Rabbi Rokeach's followers was necessary because of ''harassment, slander and physical attacks'' made against the followers, known as the Belz Hasidim, by the rival faction, the Satmar Hasidim. The most recent incident occurred Sunday night when more than 500 Satmar followers hurled rocks and chanted slogans in front of a Belz synagogue in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.
''Not since Nazi Germany have the streets been splattered with such hate against Jews,'' Rabbi Halberstam said in an interview yesterday, as young children with long sidecurls peeked into his office window.
Officials of the Satmar organization were not available for comment, but referred calls to the public relations firm of Howard J. Rubenstein Associates. The firm issued a statement by Rabbi Leibisch Lewkovitz, president of the international Satmar community, that condemned violence.
''Despite our philosophical differences,'' the statement read, ''we believe it is everyone's right to visit our city in a peaceful manner.''
The eruption over Rabbi Rokeach's visit provided a glimpse into the normally private world of the darkly clad Hasidic Jews, their backgrounds, their differences and their political influence in New York. Satmar Leaders Called to Gracie
Beginning last week and continuing over the weekend, leaders of the Belz community met with representatives of Mayor Koch and of Police Commissioner Robert J. McGuire to plan security for the rabbi's visit. Yesterday morning, leaders of the Satmar community were summoned to Gracie Mansion and, according to one participant, were ordered by the angry Mayor to control their followers.
Mayor Koch's office refused to confirm these meetings. An aide said privately that the Mayor did not want to show preference for one group over another. According to one City Hall source, Belz influence in City Hall has grown at the expense of the Satmars since Mayor Koch took office. On his recent visit to Israel, Mayor Koch visited the grand Belz rabbi.
The Mayor's office became involved in the dispute after derogatory material about the Belz rabbi began to appear and calls were made to newspaper offices threatening the rabbi's safety.
Leaflets and graffiti against the rabbi have been evident in recent days in several Brooklyn Jewish communities and in Manhattan's diamond district on 47th Street, where many Hasidic Jews work. Among the items were balloons with a picture of the 33-year-old grand rabbi labeled ''Zionist,'' and saying ''Bust me.''
The disputes stem from sharp differences between the groups over Israel. The Satmar are vigorously oppose Zionism. They maintain a community in Israel but do not cooperate with the secular government or take money from it. The Belz enjoy good relations with the Israeli Government and accept funds for their schools and institutions.
Tensions between the groups have increased in recent years, as the Belz in Israel set up a religious court and kosher slaughterhouse separate from the long-established Satmar-run institutions.
Each Hasidic sect claims to have 100,000 adherents around the world, although the numbers are believed to be greatly exaggerated. What is clear is that the Satmar are in the majority in New York, and the Belz the majority in Israel.
Although the two sects have been warring in recent years, they both stem from a common European tradition that emphasizes mysticism, ecstasy and a strong loyalty to their grand rabbi. The groups took the names of their European cities and, in coming to the United States after World War II, took the traditions of black dress and privacy as well.
The Belz sect dates back 180 years to the Western Russian town of Belz. The Satmar sect is named for the Rumanian town of Satu-Mare. Considered a 'Miracle'
The grand rabbi, or rebbe, of the Belz sect is its fifth head and a descendant of its founder. His adherents consider his ascension to the post a ''miracle.'' The last grand rabbi, Ahron Rokeach, lost all his children during the Holocaust, but survived and moved to Israel with his brother, Mordechai, after the war. The two brothers took new wives in Israel, but only Mordechai fathered a child in his old age. This child later became the current grand rabbi.
Rabbi Rokeach will be whisked from Kennedy International Airport this morning in a police-led motorcade and taken to private meetings around the city. Tonight at 7:30, he will greet his followers in the auditorium of Public School 180, at 16th Avenue and 57th Street in Brooklyn. During his weeklong visit, he is scheduled to meet with several city and state officials, including Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato and Mayor Koch.
''Despite all our troubles this is a moment of great joy,'' said Rabbi Halberstam.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/03/nyregion/guard-set-for-belz-rabbi-as-hasidic-tension-grows.html">http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/03/nyreg ... grows.html</a>
