Yesterday afternoon former President Trump made a historic visit to the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Ohel in Queens to show solidarity with the Jewish community to commemorate the terrible tragedies done by Hamas a year ago on October 7th.
President Trump was accompanied by political figures and noted community members, including Rabbi Abba Refson, director of the visitor’s center at the Ohel, popular political commentator Ben Shapiro, Shabbos Kestenbaum and other college students who have been outspoken regarding antisemitism on college campuses, and more. The family of Edan Alexander, who is currently being held hostage in Gaza, was there as well.
Several members of the Israel Heritage Foundation, including their honorary President and Holocaust survivor Jerry Wartski, were part of the small group of people invited to the Ohel. BoroPark24 spoke with Rabbi David Katz, a Boro Park resident who is involved with the advocacy work of the Israel Heritage Foundation, to hear more about what led up to this historic visit and his experience with President Trump.
The Israel Heritage Foundation has been actively advocating for Israel for many years and has arranged visits for politicians from America to visit Israel and vice versa, to discuss ways that America can further support Israel. The foundation was first in touch with President Trump last July and met with him several times throughout the year, including in February when they honored him for the historic Abraham Accords, and at several of his events on the campaign trail that they attended in the last few months.
When President Trump arrived at the Ohel with his black yarmulka in place, he put money in the tzedakah box before continuing to the Ohel, where he took out a kvittel he had written beforehand. He recited Tehillim in English, lit a candle, and placed a customary stone on the kever.
Rabbi Katz tells BoroPark24 that President Trump was very respectful of all the traditions and friendly to everyone there. He listened closely to the story of the Alexander family and expressed his hope that Edan will come home very soon.
When asked if he got the opportunity to speak personally with President Trump, Rabbi Katz says he told the former president that he’s grateful Hashem protected him from the two assassination attempts and is sure he was saved because G-d still has a special mission for him to accomplish, to which President Trump readily agreed.
Rabbi Katz expressed his hope that the visit would cause a kiddush Hashem and remind yidden everywhere to take the opportunity now, in the Eseres Yemei Teshuvah, to daven for a good year for all of Klal Yisroel.
“We just said hamamlich melochim,” Rabbi Katz says. “We don’t know who the next president will be; we leave that up to Hashem to decide. Our job right now is to daven for the hostages, for the chayalim, and for Klal Yisroel worldwide to be safe and have a gut gebentchte yur.”
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