Trump Visits Historic Jewish Site in NY to Mark October 7 Anniversary
“On his way into the Ohel, Trump placed a few coins into the large tzedakah box near the entrance in keeping with Jewish tradition to increase charitable giving at this time of year.”
Former President Donald Trump visited the Ohel in Queens, NY, to mark the anniversary of the terrorist attack on Israel.
The influential Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson rests there, which attracts almost 400,000 pilgrims as “the most visited Jewish holy site in North America.”
Trump was welcomed by Rabbi Abba Refson, director of the visitor’s center at the Ohel, and Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesman for Chabad-Lubavitch. Also present were families of hostages still being held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip; Jerry Wartski, a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp; Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement; and Rabbi Levi Shemtov, director of American Friends of Lubavitch in Washington, D.C., among others.
On his way into the Ohel, Trump placed a few coins into the large tzedakah box near the entrance in keeping with Jewish tradition to increase charitable giving at this time of year.
Joel Pollak explains the significance of the site:
The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, was one of the leading Jewish figures of the 20th century. He fled Europe before the Second World War, and worked in a U.S. Navy shipyard before rising to lead the Lubavitch Chabad movement after the death of his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the “Previous Rebbe,” beside whom he is buried at the Ohel. The Rebbe is credited with a worldwide revival of Judaism after the Holocaust.
While the Rebbe was alive, many world leaders sought his counsel. After his death in 1994, many people continued to visit the Ohel, including world leaders — most recently, Argentinian President Javier Milei, who visited last month. It was the second visit of his presidency.
Today, to mark 10/07, I joined President Trump as he met with us Jewish college students, families of American hostages, and Holocaust survivors at the grave of Menachem Mendel Schnnersohn of Chabad-Lubavitch. We prayed for the United States, the land of Israel, and our hostages pic.twitter.com/lkfCaJf1yW
— Shabbos Kestenbaum (@ShabbosK) October 7, 2024
President Trump visits the tomb of Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson in Queens.
He will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people! pic.twitter.com/QprpCyQJc8
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 7, 2024
The Rebbe’s Ohel is the most visited Jewish holy site in North America, drawing people from all walks of life in a way similar only to the Western Wall in Israel.
President Trump Marks Oct. 7 With Prayer Visit to Ohel:https://t.co/fsGx0vy3hS pic.twitter.com/PJ7YU3KW0V
— Chabad.org (@Chabad) October 7, 2024
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
It’s shameless pandering but at least he’s not pandering to the other side.
ESAD
He has Jewish family, ya moron.
It’s not “pandering”. It’s campaigning, sure. There’s no shame in that. People to whom this site is important are expected to vote heavily for him.
Ivanka and Jared came to pray there just before the elections in 2016 and 2020; these were not media events, but I remember seeing photos taken by people who saw them there.
Trump has a long-standing relationship with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. In fact, the nutcases tried to use that relationship 7 years ago to “prove” that Trump was conspiring with Putin. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/the-happy-go-lucky-jewish-group-that-connects-trump-and-putin-215007/
In stark contrast to his opponent, Mr. Trump’s visit is doubtless sincere and not just a cheap photo op.
Harris – will not clearly state support for Israel or her leaders.
Trump – unambiguously supports Israel, the Jewish faith, its people and has not hesitated to act decisively on that support.
The choice is krystal clear (misspelling intentional because if Harris is elected, that’ll be the next step).
Trump dearly loves New York and there are a lot of Jews in New York.. He did more for Israel than the last 5 or 6 presidents combined.
I’m cynical enough – and realistic enough – to think Trump MAY get 10-15% of the New York Jewish vote and no more.
He’ll do better than that even in Manhattan. He’ll get a clear majority of the Jewish vote in Brooklyn and Queens.
Harris and/or Walz are free to visit too, if they choose to. Chabad has for over a century had a policy of being strictly nonpartisan. In 1927 the Rebbe’s predecessor, for whom the tomb was originally built, declared to the NKVD officers who arrested him, and who accused him of acting against the Communist Party, that the movement was “Bezparteine” (nonpartisan). In 1917 his predecessor encouraged Russia’s Jews to participate in that year’s election, but did not endorse any party.
The only exception to this rule was in the 1988 Israeli election, when the Rebbe endorsed the United Agudath Israel list and Chabad heavily campaigned for it; but the Rebbe made it clear that that was a one-time exception and that the Agudah should not expect it to happen again. In the USA politicians of both parties used to visit the Rebbe, but he never publicly endorsed any of them.
Individual followers, of course, have their own opinions, and generally do vote, and this year the vast majority are expected to vote for Trump; but as an organization Chabad is nonpartisan and treats all political visitors equally, so if Harris and/or Walz want to come they”ll be welcome.
But I doubt they’re interested, since it would anger the antisemites among their base. Especially since the Rebbe was such a strong supporter of Israel’s security, and kept lambasting successive Israeli governments for pandering to international and US opinion. He opposed all concessions to the Arabs, including the Camp David treaty with Egypt, and maintained that even agreeing to negotiate with the “Palestinians” was a sign of weakness that would cost Israeli lives. So if they were to visit the left would be sure to go insane.
lefty is the pox that must be vaccinated out of existence
He actually fled during the War. He was in Paris until it fell to the Germans, and then fled south; he stayed in Vichy, Nice, and Marseilles until his father-in-law in New York was able to get him a visa to the USA. He arrived in the USA in June of 1941.