Keren Hatzolah gives financial form to Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum's teaching that Torah institutions must be able to follow their religious conscience without becoming dependent on the state. The fund supports yeshivos, kollelim, boys' schools, and girls' schools in Eretz Yisroel that decline Israeli government money. It is a grant-making support network, not a single school system: the recipient institutions retain their own names, leadership, and communal affiliations.
On 20 Sivan 5738, in 1978, Rabbi Yoel came with his remaining strength to the New York State Armory in Brooklyn and founded the undertaking publicly before thousands of participants. He told the gathering that the holy Avos were present with them. The event brought Satmar donors behind schools belonging to a wider Torah public and raised one million dollars that evening for institutions whose independence had left them carrying an enormous financial burden.
Keren Hatzolah raises support across Satmar communities throughout the year through regular contributions, major gifts, and matching campaigns. It gathers that support into large scheduled distributions, allowing many schools to receive help at the same time. The early program made two distributions each year; in 2011 it expanded to four, giving school administrators recurring help at important points in the calendar.
The distributions help institutions meet ordinary responsibilities that become especially difficult without government support: paying teachers, maintaining classrooms, and carrying the operating costs of a school year. A 2024 report described a $1.6 million distribution to more than 220 institutions, together with holiday bonuses for more than 2,500 teachers. It also reported that 30 additional institutions had joined during the preceding year.
Large gifts can expand that regular support quickly. In July 2025, philanthropist Berel Weiss opened a new campaign with a $5 million gift, and organizers secured additional millions through matching contributions. The same report said approximately 250 institutions were then receiving support across Satmar, the Edah HaChareidis, the Jerusalem Faction, Yeshivas Gaon Yaakov in Bnei Brak, and other communities.
A Keren Hatzolah notice published for 20 Sivan 5786 appears on page 11 of the linked June 5, 2026 issue. Marking 48 years since the founding, it reported 250 supported institutions, 50,000 children, and $12 million already distributed during 5786. The number describes a changing circle of independent beneficiaries, not schools owned by Keren Hatzolah or a permanent school-by-school roster.