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

For the first time in what is likely several decades, the two estranged Satmar Rebbes shook hands and spoke face to face at a meeting with President Donald Trump.

Reb Aharon Teitelbaum and Reb Zalman Leib Teitelbaum are brothers who lead rival Satmar factions. Their division began after their father, Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, appointed Zalman Leib to lead the Williamsburg community and named him his successor in his will. Aharon's supporters challenged the decision, arguing that he should inherit the leadership as the elder son.

When Moshe Teitelbaum died in 2006, both brothers were proclaimed Rebbe by their followers. Zalman Leib now leads the Williamsburg, Brooklyn faction, while Aharon leads the group centered in Kiryas Joel, New York. During the gathering, Aharon reportedly congratulated his brother on the recent engagement of his grandson.

The meeting carried significance beyond the family reconciliation. It marked the first gathering of its kind in the Oval Office in more than 50 years, bringing together leaders from the Satmar, Skver, Bobov and Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasties, along with leaders of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey.

The Satmar and Skver leaders are explicitly anti-Zionist. The Vizhnitzer Rebbe is described as traditional haredi and non-Zionist, while the Bobov Rebbe is considered non-Zionist but not hostile toward Israel. Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also attended, according to Belaaz. The invitation drew criticism from some of Trump's pro-Israel supporters because of the Satmar movement's anti-Zionist stance.