US President Donald Trump meets with a delegation of Hasidic rabbis at the White House on September 3, 2026. (White House)
US President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted at the White House ahead of the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah Haredi Jewish leaders, some of whom are best known outside their communities for holding anti-Zionist positions
according to Times of Israel the Hasidic rabbis discussed the conscription of Haredi men in Israel and other community issues
US Vice President JD Vance and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also attended the meeting.
The group represented several Hasidic groups including the Satmar, Bobover and Vizhnitz movements from New York City and the surrounding areas.
The two leaders of rival Satmar groups, Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum and Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, both attended in a rare joint appearance.
Satmar, one of the most prominent Hasidic movements in the US, is anti Zionist on theological grounds, but is not aligned with the mainstream, anti-Zionist activist movement.
Republican US Representative Mike Lawler also attended the meeting. Lawler is running in a close reelection race and has the support of Orthodox communities in his district north of New York City.
Hasidic areas of the New York region supported Trump in the 2024 election.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump meets with Hasidic leaders in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, D.C., Sept. 3, 2026.Photo / Molly Riley / Official White House Photo
According to reports from Orthodox media in New York, which gave the visit heavy coverage, the rabbis asked Trump to intervene in the Haredi conscription crisis in Israel.
The rabbis asked Trump to take the side of yeshiva students who are opposing enlistment, according to Yeshiva World News.
Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum told yeshiva students ahead of the visit that he planned to raise the issue with Trump, the outlet reported.
US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance meet with Reb Aharon Teitelbaum and Reb Zalman Leib Teitelbaum at the White House. September 4, 2026. (credit: SCREENSHOT/X)
Hasidim in New York occasionally protest against the draft in Israel.
The Hasidic rabbis and Trump also discussed issues including kosher food for federal prisoners, prisoner furloughs, public housing assistance, threats to Jewish cemeteries in Europe and federal funding for yeshivas.
