For the first time in history, two prominent Hasidic leaders have been invited to the White House as personal guests of President-elect Donald Trump.
The Gerrer Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Shaul Alter, and the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum, both received an official invitation to visit the White House after the inauguration of Trump.
The planned visit is intended to express gratitude for the Hasidic leaders’ support for the president-elect, which led to a significant rise in the number of votes he received from the haredi public in the United States.
The relationship between the Gerrer Rosh Yeshiva and President Trump began even before the elections, when the President sent a special letter of condolence to Rabbi Alter following the death of his mother, the Gerrer Rebbetzin. The letter was conveyed via Yehuda Kaploun, a close advisor to Donald Trump.
Kaploun is considered a key figure in enlisting the support of haredi leadership, which for the first time, publicly expressed support for the president, given the current situation in Israel.
The historic visit to the Oval Office is expected to take place after the official inauguration of the president for his second term.