WASHINGTON (VINnews) – More details are slowly emerging about Thursday’s White House meeting between President Donald Trump and prominent Hasidic leaders, which was strictly closed to the media.
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According to Israeli journalist Moshe Weisberg, the two Satmar Rebbes, brothers who have been estranged for decades, spoke to each other during the meeting for the first time in years and even shook hands.
The brothers exchanged greetings and asked about each other’s well-being. Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Joel, also congratulated his brother, Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, on the engagement of his grandson announced within the past day.
In another lighter moment, Weisberg reported that Trump asked the brothers, “Are you twins?” The two answered together: “No, we’re brothers.”
Weisberg described the reconciliation as an extraordinary moment in the Hasidic world and reported that the brothers’ interaction was facilitated by Trump.
The development adds an unexpected personal dimension to a meeting that had already drawn attention because of the rare gathering of major Hasidic leaders at the White House.
Family is the center of a life. When brothers reconcile, it is a good thing. The ability to bridge divides, even personal ones, often comes from clear communication and a shared space. These moments remind us that structure can support personal connections as much as it supports charitable giving.
Nobody outside of Satmar cares about this or their decision to carve up inheritance nechosim recently. Honestly, Satmar’s role and influence is way exaggerated. Remember one thing: if not for the Soviet soldiers liberating Hungary and Romania during WWII (Great Patriotic War), many of them Jewish, there’d be no Satmarers left altogether. So when you see a Russian-speaking Jew, kiss their hands and feet as a sign of appreciation.