Trump marks Oct. 7 with visit to rebbe's Ohel
On the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, former President Donald Trump visited the Ohel in Springfield Gardens, Queens, resting place of the Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Schneerson.
Trump placed a few coins into a large tzedakah box near the entrance in keeping with Jewish tradition to increase charitable giving at this time of year.
The rebbe’s Ohel is the most visited Jewish holy site in North America, according to Chabad.org, drawing people from all walks of life. Rabbi Schneerson expended thousands of hours meeting and corresponding with people from all walks of life, Jews and non-Jews, including presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. He was niftar in 1994.
Trump’s visit continued a family tradition: Before the presidential elections in 2016 and 2020, his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, paid late-night media-free visits to the Ohel, in the Old Montefiore Cemetery.
Trump was accompanied by Yael, Adi and Roy Alexander, parents and brother of Edan Alexander, who is currently being held hostage by terrorists in the Gaza Strip; Jerry Wartski, a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp; and two Jewish college students facing antisemitism on campus.
Visiting the resting place of the righteous is a long-held tradition in Judaism. The Talmud recounts how Caleb visited Hebron to pray at the Maarat Hamachpela, resting place of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs. Resting places of Jewish mystics and sages in Israel and Europe are considered sacred spaces and have been visited by Jews and non-Jews for centuries.
The timing of Trump’s visit — two days after Rosh Hashana — is significant, as special emphasis is placed on visiting these sites on the days leading into the High Holy Days.
Danny Gejerman, a Queens resident, said he heard Trump was coming and hadn’t been to the Ohel for a long time, so he decided to visit, JTA reported.
“He knows that he has the support of the Jews and he knows that he needs the support of the majority of Jews in order to win this election,” Gejerman said.
With reporting by Chabad.org
