President Trump Hosts Oval Office Meeting with Chabad Rabbinical Delegation

by Motti Wilhelm – chabad.org

President Donald Trump and senior administration officials welcomed a delegation of Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis to the Oval Office on Monday, in connection with the proclamation of Education and Sharing Day earlier this year paying tribute to the legacy of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.

Since 1978, every U.S. president has proclaimed Education and Sharing Day on the date corresponding to the Rebbe’s Hebrew birthday. These proclamations have always highlighted the Rebbe’s message of the higher purpose of education, an enduring vision which continues to inspire and uplift people around the globe, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

In President Trump’s proclamation this year, he wrote that the Rebbe “was a transformational teacher and a spiritual force who — from the ashes of the Holocaust — established one of the most vibrant, joyous, and significant religious movements of the modern era … . All Americans can learn from his tireless devotion to teaching, good deeds, and charity.”

Frequently, the signing of the proclamation has been accompanied by a White House visit of Chabad rabbis. This year, however, technical considerations did not allow it to take place on April 9, 2025, the day of the proclamation, and the meeting was scheduled for today.

Monday was a busy day at the White House, with the official state visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a joint press briefing, and a meeting between the president and House and Senate leadership on a looming government shutdown. Yet the president still set aside time to meet with the rabbis, speaking with them about the global work of Chabad emissaries and the enduring legacy of the Rebbe.

Leading the delegation was Rabbi Avraham Shemtov, national director of American Friends of Lubavitch – Chabad, and chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad, the umbrella organization of the movement. Rabbi Shemtov coordinated the activities surrounding the very first Education Day celebration in Washington, D.C., in 1978, and many since.

President Trump and senior officials warmly welcomed the rabbis and thanked them for traveling from across the country to share this special moment. The rabbis updated the president on Chabad activities in America and around the globe, sharing stories and updates of their efforts to spread “Jewish awareness, education, and kindness in communities around the world,” as the President himself put it in his proclamation.

On his end, the President fondly recalled his visit to the Ohel, the Rebbe’s resting place, just over a year ago on the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre in Israel.

As in his proclamation, where he wrote that at the Ohel he had “drew spiritual guidance and replenishment” and “was personally reminded of the horrors of antisemitism — whether perpetuated by the Nazis or Hamas,” the president again emphasized his unwavering commitment to the safety and security of Jews both in America and in the Holy Land.

In keeping with the theme of Education and Sharing Day, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch – Chabad, presented the president with a silver charity box, explaining its purpose as a daily reminder to make acts of kindness a routine part of life.

The rabbis also brought a more personal gift: a replica of the plaque installed in the Beach Haven Jewish Center in Gravesend, Brooklyn, dedicated to the president’s father, Fred Trump. The original plaque, dated December 15, 1956, was placed in appreciation for Mr. Trump senior’s donation of land for the center, his financing of much of its construction, and his ongoing support of the synagogue. He was also remembered for extending kindness to many of his Holocaust survivor tenants, frequently allowing them to delay rent payments until they were able to pay.

Among the Chabad rabbis in the delegation was Chaplain (Major) Rabbi Mendy Stern, USA, Command Chaplain of the 470th Military Intelligence Brigade, whom President Trump quizzed about his experiences in the military. He also spoke with Rabbi Aaron Lipskar, CEO of the Aleph Institute, about the organization’s work in the military and in the prison system, including its crucial work on the First Step Act, which Trump signed into law during his first term.

The other rabbis who took part in the meeting were Rabbi Mendel Alperowitz, director of Chabad Lubavitch of South Dakota; Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz, director of Chabad Lubavitch of Idaho; Rabbi Mendel Feller, director of Chabad Lubavitch Upper Midwest; Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, executive director of Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan; Rabbi Yoseph New, director Chabad Lubavitch of Georgia; Rabbi Mendy Herson, Dean of Rabbinical College of America, and executive director of Chabad of New Jersey; Rabbi Yehoshua Harlig, executive director of Chabad of Southern Nevada; Rabbi Ovadia Goldman, director of Chabad of Oklahoma City, OK; Rabbi Eitan Webb, Secretary of Chabad on Campus International and co-director of Chabad at Princeton; Rabbi Eli Shemtov, director of Young Professionals, American Friends of Chabad – Lubavitch of Washington, DC.

The meeting was coordinated by Martin Marks, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Jewish Engagement. Other senior administration officials who attended included White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Commerce Secretary Hon. Howard Lutnick, EPA Administrator Hon. Lee Zeldin, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf,Paula White, Senior Advisor to the President for Faith Policy, Ms. Jennifer Korn, Director, White House Faith Office; as well as Mr. Jared Kushner, son-in-law of the President.