By Hammad Kahlun,
Scandinavian News Agency
Anti-Zionist rabbis met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday in a historic first, delivering a letter that calls for an end to Zionist violence and a path toward lasting peace.
The delegation included six prominent Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders from New York and New Jersey.
Among them were two Satmar rebbes, Grand Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum and Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, whose reunion at the White House drew particular attention.
The meeting lasted approximately eight minutes in a private setting, according to reports from attendees and social media posts reviewed by Scandinavian News Agency.
Six rabbis, including Satmar leaders, gather at White House
The gathering brought together religious leaders who have long opposed Zionism on theological grounds.
Satmar Judaism maintains that a Jewish state should not exist before the arrival of the Messiah, a position held since before Israel’s founding in 1948.
The rabbis’ presence in the Oval Office represented a rare engagement between the White House and anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish voices.
President Trump welcomed the group ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Vice President JD Vance joined portions of the discussion, according to posts from attendees.
The administration has sought to maintain support among American Jewish voters while engaging with constituencies that have grown increasingly critical of Israeli government policy.
Letter calls for end to Zionist wars
The rabbis personally handed President Trump a letter expressing Jewish opposition to Zionism and its wars.
The document stated that Zionist leaders do not speak for all Jewish people and urged the White House to leverage American influence to stop violence against Palestinians in Gaza.
It called for a ceasefire and a negotiated peace framework that guarantees equal rights for Palestinians.
“This isn’t anything new,” one participant said after the meeting, noting that anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews have organized protests against Israel’s wars since the early 2000s.
The letter requested that the United States make its support for Israel conditional on respecting the rights of Palestinians and ending what the rabbis described as ethnic cleansing.
Yeshiva student draft tops agenda alongside Gaza conflict
A primary concern for the delegation was Israel’s conscription of yeshiva students. Israel’s Supreme Court has challenged longstanding exemptions that allow full-time religious students to avoid military service.
The issue has sparked mass protests within Haredi communities, which argue that military duty conflicts with religious study and practice.
The rabbis asked President Trump to intervene with Israeli leaders on the draft matter. They also raised cases of Jewish prisoners in the United States and discussed federal policies affecting religious education and housing.
The conversation touched on broader questions of religious freedom both in America and abroad.
Key facts:
- Date: September 3, 2026
- Location: Oval Office, White House
- Delegation: Six Hasidic rabbis, including Satmar leaders Aaron and Zalman Leib Teitelbaum
- Duration: Approximately eight minutes
- Primary topics: Yeshiva student conscription, religious freedom, letter opposing Zionism and its wars
- Anti-Zionist
FAQs:
Who are the Anti-Zionist rabbis who met Trump?
The delegation included six Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders from New York and New Jersey, notably Satmar Grand Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum and Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum.
What was in the letter delivered to Trump?
Sources say the letter called for an end to Zionist violence and wars, stated that Anti-Zionist do not speak for all Jewish people, and asked the president to leverage U.S. support for Israel into a ceasefire and peace framework.
What is the Satmar position on Zionism?
Satmar Judaism opposes the existence of a Jewish state before the Messiah’s arrival, a stance maintained since before Israel’s founding in 1948.
What other issues were discussed?
The rabbis raised Israel’s conscription of yeshiva students, cases of Jewish prisoners, and federal policies affecting religious education and housing.
How has the White House responded?
No official readout was released. The White House press office had no public comment by Saturday evening.
Meeting signals shift in American Jewish political engagement
The Oval Office meeting illustrated how debates over American policy toward Israel have grown more complicated.
President Trump has cultivated close ties with pro-Israel evangelical and conservative Jewish leaders throughout his political career. Thursday’s gathering brought together voices that have traditionally operated outside mainstream Jewish political organizations.
Pro-Israel groups remained largely silent or questioned whether the rabbis represented mainstream Jewish opinion.
Advocates for Palestinian rights praised the meeting as a breakthrough, noting that anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish leaders have long been marginalized from Washington discussions.
White House officials did not release an official readout of the discussion. The State Department referred questions to the White House press office, which had no public comment by Saturday evening.
The delegation’s letter is expected to enter the president’s official records. Copies were also delivered to congressional offices and interfaith organizations.
Whether the document will influence policy remains uncertain, but the meeting itself marks a new chapter in how anti-Zionist Jewish leaders seek to shape the national conversation from inside the corridors of power.
Verified by Scandinavian News Agency Finland. Byline corresponds to diplomatic reporting from SNN Washington bureau.
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