I am Satmar Chassidish AMA

amother

Chicory

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:25 pm

amother Bellflower wrote:

My DH and I run a business in Williamsburg where we employ Satmar girls. While they are wonderful, incredibly hardworking employees, their English leaves much to be desired. Even my chassidish-raised husband commented that he never realized girls could sound so stilted.

It doesn't affect us in any way because they don't interact with clients but we are now looking for a new employee who will need to communicate directly with the clients and as unfortunate as it may seem, the Satmar girls are very low on the desirability list due to their less than stellar English.

Agreed. Many may have a great work ethic, but Amother Pumpkin don't delude yourself into thinking their education or English language skills are on par with other schools.

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:26 pm

amother Chicory wrote:

Agreed. Many may have a great work ethic, but Amother Pumpkin don't delude yourself into thinking their education or English language skills are on par with other schools.

100%

amother

Chicory

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:43 pm

amother OP wrote:

100%

Thanks. I'm not trying to be a hater but it's silly to delude yourself.
Sure, there are many who are self-taught and do great, but they're exceptions that prove the rule.
I think Satmar graduates have a lot to offer that other girls don't, but great English isn't it. Or critical thinking for that matter.
I'm talking about the stereotype. Obviously there are exceptions. OP, you may be one of them!

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:51 pm

amother Chicory wrote:

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, our education is extremely practical. We learn halachos that we would actually use, we learn tefillos in depth, home economics, and practical skills.

There is a lackadaisical attitude towards education in general, it's more of a necessary evil than something important. Also as demonstrated by amother Freesia thinking and questioning is frowned upon by some 🤔

So while we might make amazing employees and entrepreneurs it is in spite of the language barrier.

amother

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 1:04 am

emee2 wrote:

Do you have specific foods you eat on Shabbos?

What about yamim tovim?

The shabbos menu stays the same every week with minor additions or subtraction
Friday night- Kiddush, challah, (dips), fish - gefilte and or salmon - most satmar people poach it but I usually do baked fish, soup with lukshin (lo kashin) meat, farfel ( our aveiros should be farfallen/fall away) tzimmes- I usually don't make it cuz no-one in my family likes it, potato kugel, on a special shabbos we add an additional kugel I.e. noodle, yerushalmi, apple etc. Compote, dessert, and a fresh apple- I'm sure there's a reason but I don't know what it is.

Shabbos Day- kiddush, challah, (dips), fish, eier mit tzvibel/eggs and onions because we didn't experience the taste of onions in the mohn, also because onions are betzel in lashon hakodesh and we are batzel in Hashems shadow, liver/leberlech/live ehrlich with faith, cholent, kishka, compote, dessert

I'll usually do a leafy green salad as well, but that's not traditional

amother

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 1:12 am

emee2 wrote:

Do you have specific foods you eat on Shabbos?

What about yamim tovim?

It was long so I broke it up. Most yamim tovim have special foods associated with it. I'm not sure how much of it was saving the patchke/mess for Yom tov meals that don't come around that often and how much is actual minhag. Also not sure how much of it is uniquely satmar

For rosh hashana the lukshen/noodles in the soup are square so that our tzaros should come to an end.
Erev Yom Kippur is kreplach/ dumplings/pierogies
Sukkos there's cabbage noodles, don't think there's any significance to it, and fritlach/funnel cakes, don't know of a significance either
Simchas Torah is holoptzes
Tu bshvat we do a full peiros tisch/fruit meal
Purim holoptzes
Pesach we don't Mish/ eat outside food
Shavuos cheese kreplach and a fully milchig meal ( this one I think was borne out of convenience more recently)

emee2

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 1:14 am

amother OP wrote:

I belong to a different chassidus and our menu is basically the same. These was very informative, thanks for sharing! My cousins are Boston and they do the fresh apple too!

amother

Seagreen

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 2:30 am

amother Bellflower wrote:

I am a Satmar graduate, working at the same office for over a decade BH, and have trained multiple girls throughout. I would say that most Satmar girls have the potential to develop great language skills once they are in the corporate world. Their English might be stilted when they start out, but it is usually a short term issue. I find it surprising that you have multiple employees who do not have a decent English.
I recently worked with a graduate from another school, and was very taken aback at her very basic lack of grammar, language, and ability to express herself in English. I have never dealt with that in our office of only Satmar girls.

GLUE

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 3:41 am

abound wrote:

What do girls read for pleasure reading? Most books and magazines are English...if they dont read as a first language...is that even enjoyable?

There are a lot of Yiddish magazines, I think there are more Yiddish magazines then English.

amother

Firebrick

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 3:50 am

abound wrote:

What do girls read for pleasure reading? Most books and magazines are English...if they dont read as a first language...is that even enjoyable?

There are definitely tons of Yiddish books and weekly magazines.

amother

Firebrick

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 4:06 am

How often do non-Satmar people join Satmar? Are they coming both from other Chasidish as well as from non-Chasidish (ie Yeshivish, Modern Orthodox, etc.)? Any Baal Teshuvos? Do any Geirim join Satmar?

amother

Heather

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 9:04 am

abound wrote:

What do girls read for pleasure reading? Most books and magazines are English...if they dont read as a first language...is that even enjoyable?

Oh please. I’m a satmar graduate and haven’t touched a Yiddish book in my life. My brain hurts when I read Yiddish seriously. I can read English just as well as you. In fact it feels like my first language

amother

Heather

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 9:11 am

amother Chicory wrote:

And I know many many who are exceptions lol. Please, I’m not looking to defend or make the satmar girls seem better than they are, but I know too many girls who speak a fabulous English. I’ve worked in a large firm with many different types of girls from all backgrounds. Our English skills were all very similar. I would say the girls who don’t speak it that well are the exceptions.
English feels like my native language.

amother

Forestgreen

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 9:22 am

amother Bellflower wrote:

I think the reason for the stilted English is due to the fact that yiddish is the first language that most stamar families speak. So while you can be well read, and have a high vocabulary English language while reading, speaking needs fluency, which only comes through using it on a daily basis.

abound

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 9:26 am

amother Heather wrote:

So y are some ppl saying that satmer girls are not comfortable in english? is it different according to families?

amother

Glitter

Thu, Oct 05 2023, 9:40 am

Speaking and reading are completely different. When we talk, because our first language is yiddish, our words get translated in our brain first. That's why it's more difficult to talk then when u just read a language we know well.
I never met a satmar girl that can't read well. Pronunciation is already something else, but basic reading everyone is capable of.