Top US Rabbis Meet Trump at White House, Historic Sibling Reconciliation Occurs

A delegation of prominent American rabbis and yeshiva deans held a historic meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. The group included the Rebbes of Satmar, Vizhnitz Monsey, and Bobov, as well as Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood, and Rabbi Aaron Menachem Mendel Twersky, son of the Skver Rebbe. Congressman Mike Lawler, who facilitated the visit, was also present.

The meeting addressed significant concerns of the Orthodox Jewish community, particularly regarding the needs of communities in New York and New Jersey. Vice President J.D. Vance joined the gathering later, engaging with the rabbis on pressing issues.

A notable development during the event was a private, 15-minute meeting between President Trump and the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, accompanied by activist Gedalia Segdin. The discussion focused on the release of one of the Rebbe's followers from prison. Following this, the Rebbe led the assembled group in reciting the "Mi Shebeirach" prayer for the welfare of the government, which was then translated into English by Segdin. President Trump, visibly moved, summoned his son-in-law Jared Kushner to join them.

The Satmar Rebbe thanked the President for his directive to reopen houses of study and institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The other Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, expressed appreciation for Trump's support of the Jewish people and raised the issue of yeshiva student conscription in Israel. Rabbi Twersky delivered a letter from his father, the Skver Rebbe, to President Trump.

In an unusual moment, Trump requested and received a handwritten note summarizing the private meeting's points from the Satmar Rebbe, which he then placed in his desk drawer. The meeting concluded after approximately 30 minutes of discussion, with the rabbis departing on friendly terms. The gathering is being hailed as one of the most significant events for American Jewry in recent years.

Adding to the historic nature of the day, the two Satmar Rebbes, who had been estranged for decades, spoke and shook hands for the first time in years. President Trump inquired if they were twins, to which they responded they were brothers. The Satmar Rebbe also offered his brother congratulations on his grandson's engagement.