Hasidic leaders meet Trump at White House

The gathering had been extensively prepared for in the days leading up to the visit, with community leaders holding consultations on issues they intended to raise with the president.

By Eliana Fleming, JFeed

A historic gathering took place Thursday as an unprecedented delegation of senior Hasidic leaders met with President Donald Trump at the White House ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

The approximately half-hour meeting in the Oval Office brought together several of the most influential figures in American Orthodox Jewish life for a discussion focused on issues affecting their communities, as well as broader national and Jewish concerns.

The delegation included the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Joel, Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum; his brother, the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg, Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum; the Bobover Rebbe, Rabbi Benzion Halberstam; the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey, Rabbi Yisroel Hager; Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, rosh yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey; and Rabbi Aharon Mendel Twersky, representing his father, the Skverer Rebbe, Rabbi Dovid Twersky.

The meeting was particularly notable because it brought the two Satmar rebbes together.

Rabbi Aharon and Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum lead rival Satmar factions and had been estranged for decades.

During the White House visit, the brothers reportedly shook hands and spoke face to face, marking a rare public reunion.

Trump was joined during the meeting by Vice President JD Vance, presidential adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.

The gathering had been extensively prepared for in the days leading up to the visit, with community leaders holding consultations on issues they intended to raise with the president.

Among the concerns discussed were matters affecting the Orthodox community, including the situation of Jewish prisoners and other communal issues.

The meeting also provided an opportunity for the Orthodox leaders to express their appreciation to Trump for his support of the Jewish community and his engagement with Orthodox Jewish leadership.

The gathering came as Trump continued his engagement with Jewish leaders ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

The participation of the two Satmar leaders was particularly significant given their community’s longstanding anti-Zionist religious position and the unusual nature of their appearance at the White House.

The delegation’s visit concluded after the Oval Office meeting, with the leaders returning to New York following what was described as a rare and historic encounter between the American president and a broad cross-section of senior Hasidic leadership.