Trump has historic meeting with Hasidic leaders

The Trump administration hosted a historic gathering of leaders of major Hasidic communities on Thursday, drawing controversy because several of the rabbis are explicitly anti-Zionist or non-Zionist.

Brokered in part by Rep. Mike Lawler, whose Rockland County district includes large Hasidic communities, the meeting also produced a rare reunion between the two Satmar rebbes, brothers who have been at odds since a succession dispute following their father’s death.

Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum of Kiryas Joel and Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum of Williamsburg greeted each other at the White House, likely marking their first face-to-face meeting in decades. Their dispute began after their father, Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, died in 2006 and designated Zalman Leib as his Williamsburg successor, angering Aharon’s supporters and leading to a split within the Satmar community.

The brothers reportedly shook hands and exchanged greetings at the meeting from which the press was barred. Aharon also congratulated Zalman Leib on his grandson’s engagement, which had been announced the previous day, attendees said afterwards.

The roughly 30-minute Oval Office meeting was the first gathering of its kind at the White House since 1979, according to the White House.

The delegation included Rabbi Benzion Halberstam, the Bobover Rebbe; Rabbi Yisroel Hager, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey; Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, rosh yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ; and Rabbi Aharon Mendel Twersky, representing his father, Rabbi Dovid Twersky, the Skverer Rebbe.

The delegation first met with White House officials in the Roosevelt Room, where Vice President JD Vance joined the gathering. White House Jewish liaison Martin Marks, who had worked for months to organize the meeting, and Staff Secretary Will Scharf also participated. Jared Kushner joined the group for the Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump.

The rabbis discussed issues affecting their communities, including religious education and the needs of Jewish prisoners. Concerns also included protecting haredi educational independence from New York state requirements and issues facing the Kiryas Joel community.

The delegation’s presence at the White House drew criticism from some pro-Israel voices because Satmar is explicitly anti-Zionist, while other members of the group are more accurately described as non-Zionist. Satmar rejects the establishment of a Jewish state before the arrival of the Moshiach.

It was reported that some of the attendees raised the topic of the military draft of haredi men into the Israel Defense Forces, but Belaaz News reported that the rabbis had agreed not to discuss the contentious issue

Trump also met privately with Aharon, Vance and Kushner, according to photos published by Satmar. Aharon led the other rabbis in a traditional blessing for the president and government and thanked Trump for his support of the Jewish community.

Yossi Gestetner, a Hasidic community activist and strategist who accompanied the delegation to the White House, told reporters on the White House lawn that “today was an opportunity for the first time in over 50 years for the president of the United States to meet with the grand rabbis of the largest Hasidic sects, the visibily Hasidic communities. … We had the opportunity to thank the president for everything that he does for the United States.”

Gestentner walked off as reporters asked questions.

—JNS with The Jewish Star