A Pesach gathering took place at the White House today, bringing together senior administration figures alongside prominent Jewish communal leaders for a reception and policy discussion ahead of the Yom Tov.

The program featured a reception held in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, attended by roughly 70 senior staff and officials. It followed a closed-door, half-hour meeting in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump and a select group of Jewish representatives.

Among the government officials present were Secretary Howard Lutnick, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Staff Secretary Will Scharf, Jewish Liaison Martin Marks, Jacob Reese, Chief of Staff to the Vice President, and Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun.

The delegation from the Jewish community represented a wide range of rabbinic and organizational leadership, led by representatives of Agudath Israel of America.

Attendees included Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel of Agudath Israel, the mayors of Kiryas Joel and New Square, Rabbi Moshe Dovid Niederman of Satmar in Williamsburg, Rabbi Moshe Margaretten of the Tzedek Association, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch in Washington, DC, and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik of New York’s Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue.

Additional attendees included Holocaust survivor Jerry Worski along with his associate Jon Burkan, investor Paul Packer, Holocaust Memorial Council Chairman Jeff Miller, Matt Brooks of the Republican Jewish Coalition, and Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, who was recently the target of an antisemitic incident.

Also present was Edan Alexander of New Jersey, a recently freed hostage from Gaza, who attended the event together with his parents.

During the Oval Office discussion, several significant topics were addressed. The president inquired about the status of Department of Homeland Security funding allocated for protecting Jewish institutions, an issue that remains pressing amid increased antisemitic threats. He also reiterated his strong backing of Israel and spoke about the current tensions involving Iran.

President Trump also spoke about the case of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, saying that his earlier sentence had been unjust, and asked about his current condition.

In a more personal moment, the president placed a phone call to his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, both of whom had been active in Jewish communal affairs during his administration. He expressed pride in Ivanka’s conversion, noting that her teacher had described her as an outstanding student.

{Matzav.com}