Donald Trump Meets Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis, Including Members of Anti-Israel Sects, Ahead of Rosh Hashanah

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance held a meeting on Thursday with a group of ultra-Orthodox rabbis, which included representatives from sects holding anti-Israel views. This gathering formed part of Mr Trump's traditional annual engagement with the Jewish community leading up to the Rosh Hashanah new year holiday.

Following the meeting, a delegation member spoke to reporters, characterizing the event as a chance for a president to connect with the principal rabbis of major ultra-Orthodox sects, whom the speaker referred to as “visibly Jewish people”. Alongside the exchange of holiday greetings, reports indicate the discussion also touched upon concerns impacting Hasidic communities in both the US and Israel.

According to The Yeshiva World, the delegation urged Mr Trump to back exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox men in Israel—a topic that has sparked intermittent violent protests within the country. The rabbinical group featured members from the Satmar and Skver communities, which are ultra-Orthodox Jewish factions that, among other principles, contest the legitimacy of the state of Israel based on the belief that Jews are barred from establishing a sovereign state prior to the messiah's arrival.

Unlike the fringe Neturei Karta community, whose anti-Israel stance has frequently prompted members to participate in pro-Palestine demonstrations, the Satmar and Skver communities concentrate their efforts on opposing Israeli government authority. New York, which hosts a substantial population from these groups, has been the site of community-organized protests against the Israeli military draft.

Historically granted exemptions for decades, the ultra-Orthodox community faced a 2024 announcement from the Israeli government stating they would now be subject to the nationwide military draft. Numerous ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel maintain that full-time religious study constitutes their vocation and that military service would interfere with those pursuits.