Trump to meet anti-Israel Hasidic rebbes at White House, raising concerns over IDF draft

A planned White House meeting with six prominent ultra-Orthodox and non-Zionist Jewish leaders has opened a debate in the American and wider Jewish community, particularly over Israel’s military draft for yeshiva students.

The invitees are the Skverer Rebbe, Satmar rabbis Aaron Teitelbaum and Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, the Bobov-48 Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey, and Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, the Litvish head of the BMG yeshiva. The two Satmar leaders, the Skverer Rebbe and Kotler are explicitly anti-Zionist. The Vizhnitzer Rebbe is described as traditional haredi and non-Zionist, while the Bobov-48 Rebbe is viewed as non-Zionist but not hostile toward Israel.

According to Belaaz, White House Jewish liaison Martin Marks personally contacted the rebbes and spent months arranging the meeting. Each leader is expected to meet Trump individually for about two minutes. A roundtable may follow.

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Tens of thousands of Jews in Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel) are in distress because of the decree to draft yeshiva students.

The haredi draft into the Israel Defense Forces is expected to feature in the discussions. A source told The Jerusalem Post that the delegation aims to pressure Trump and Israeli decision-makers to support exemptions for yeshiva students. The effort could also portray Israel’s enforcement of enlistment as antisemitic or anti-Jewish, the source said.

Rabbi Aron Teitelbaum is reportedly seeking to make US support for Israel conditional on an exemption for yeshiva students. Speaking at a Satmar yeshiva in Kiryas Joel, he said he had initially planned to reject the invitation but changed his mind because “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,” he said.

Belaaz reported that the Skverer Rebbe canceled and might send his older son. The Bobov-48 Rebbe also reportedly canceled and may send a son. Similar reports have circulated about the Satmar rebbes.

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We hope that we will be able to appeal to the president to help with this situation.