Trump meeting brings estranged Satmar Rebbes face to face for first time in decades

The invitation itself sparked criticism from some of Trump's pro-Israel supporters, given the anti-Zionist stance of the Satmar Hasidic movement.

US President Donald Trump hosted Hasidic rebbes and ultra-Orthodox (haredi) leaders at the White House on Thursday for a meeting ahead of Rosh Hashanah, described as the first meeting of its kind in the Oval Office in more than 50 years.

Key issues affecting the ultra-Orthodox community were likely discussed, including the haredi draft into the IDF.

Among the participants were leaders from the Satmar, Skver, Bobov, and Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasties, as well as leaders of the Beth Medrash Govoha yeshiva in Lakewood, New Jersey, all of whom are anti-Zionist and oppose the existence of the State of Israel.

Both Satmar rebbes are explicitly anti-Zionist, as are the Skverer Rebbe and Kotler. The Vizhnitzer Rebbe is best described as traditional haredi (ultra-Orthodox) non-Zionist, and the Bobov Rebbe can be best described as non-Zionist yet non-hostile in his stance.

The invitation itself sparked criticism from some of Trump's pro-Israel supporters, given the anti-Zionist stance of the Satmar Hasidic movement.

Previously, The Jerusalem Post had reported that those invited included the Skverer Rebbe, both Satmar rebbes (Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum and Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum), the Bobov Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey, and BMG Rosh Yeshiva Rav Malkiel Kotler, who is Litvish.

According to original reporting by Belaaz, White House Jewish liaison Martin Marks personally placed the calls and worked on arranging the meeting for several months.

Belaaz also reported that each rebbe will enter alone and speak with Trump for around two minutes, followed by a potential roundtable.

Gathering intends to exert pressure on Trump, Israel regarding haredi draft 

A source told the Post earlier this week that the gathering was intended to exert pressure on Trump and Israeli decision-makers to support exemptions from military service for yeshiva students, and could include efforts to portray Israel’s enforcement of enlistment as antisemitic or anti-Jewish.

 The source also said that the most vehemently anti-Israel rebbe of the group - Grand Rebbe of Satmar, Rabbi Aron Teitelbaum - is hoping to pressure Trump to make US support for Israel conditional on an exemption for yeshiva students.

Speaking at the Satmar Mesivta [Orthodox Jewish yeshiva secondary school for boys] in Kiryas Yoel on Friday night, Rebbe Aharom said he originally planned to decline the invitation, but then remembered that “tens of thousands of Jews in Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel) are in distress because of the decree to draft yeshiva students.”

“We hope that we will be able to appeal to the president to help with this situation,” said the rebbe.