Moshe (Moses) Teitelbaum (Yiddish: משה טײטלבױם; November 17, 1914 – April 24, 2006) was a Hasidic rebbe and the world leader of the Satmar Hasidim.

[3] Moshe was raised by family friends and relatives, including his uncle, Joel Teitelbaum, and his grandfather, Rabbi Shulem Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzfert.

[3] In late spring 1944, the Hungarian government, assisted by Nazi forces led by Adolf Eichmann, began deporting Jews en-masse.

[2][5] Soon thereafter, they were forced to flee Communist persecution, leaving for Prague and then setting sail for New York City, where they arrived in fall 1947.

[6] There was some uneasiness about appointing Moshe, because in the years prior, he had limited contact with Satmar, led his own Hasidic group, and did not necessarily have the same absolutist outlook, level of scholarship, or intense piety, as his late uncle.

[6] Moshe could have turned down the appointment and remained as leader of his small Sighet sect, but leadership of Satmar promised far more power and prestige.

[6] This was done as a sign of bereavement over his uncle, who helped raise him when his father died, and to allow the Satmar community to mourn and adjust to the transition.

[7] Soon after becoming Rebbe, Moshe appointed his son Aaron as the chief rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Satmar congregation in Kiryas Joel, New York, essentially giving him authority over all the community's affairs.

[6][8] The residents of Kiryas Joel at that time resented the appointment of Aaron, having issues with his personality and controlling nature.

[7] A melee erupted, hundreds of angry Hasidim poured into the streets, three men were dragged from a car that was then set on fire, and three police officers were injured.

[7] Supporters of Alta Fayga in Kiryas Joel claimed that they have been physically attacked, and profanities were written on their sidewalk.

[7] Under Moshe's guidance, from 1980 until 2006, Satmar doubled in size to around 100,000[1]–120,000[3] followers, the largest Hasidic group in the United States.

[3] This was seen as a signal from Moshe that Zalman was to lead Satmar after his death,[8] overturning the previous assumption that he would be succeeded by his eldest son, Aaron.

[1][3] Tens of thousands of members of the Jewish community attended his funeral and burial procession in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and later in Kiryas Joel, New York.

Eulogies in the main Satmar synagogue in Williamsburg were said by all the rebbe's children or their husbands, in order of their respective ages.

Moshe was survived by his wife; four sons, Aaron, Lipa, Zalmen Leib, and Shulem; two daughters, Bracha Meisels and Hendy Halberstam.