Yisroel R.

As President Trump prepares to welcome a delegation of prominent Admorim and Rabbanim to the White House on Thursday, a remarkable photograph from decades ago offers a glimpse of his relationship with the heimishe community long before anyone was calling him “Mr. President.”

The black-and-white photo, which BoroPark24 first resurfaced in 2024, shows Trump standing among Rabbanim and community figures on the steps of Khal Shaarei Zion d’Bobov on 15th Avenue in Boro Park, during a visit believed to have taken place sometime in the 1990s.

When BoroPark24 originally published the photograph, readers helped identify several of the familiar faces surrounding Trump. Among those seen in the picture are Askan Reb Dovid Greentzweig and Noach Dear, the longtime New York City councilman who represented Boro Park and later went on to serve as a New York State Supreme Court justice, along with other well-known community figures.

At the time, Trump was one of New York’s most recognizable businessmen, but his political career was still years away. His real estate business and public profile brought him into contact with numerous political and community figures across New York City, including members of the Orthodox Jewish community.

The photograph took on new meaning when it resurfaced more than three decades later. The tall businessman standing in the center would eventually become the 45th and 47th president of the United States, while the Boro Park community he was visiting would remain part of a relationship with the frum community that continued through his years in national politics.

That history is particularly striking this week. On Thursday, September 3, President Trump is scheduled to host prominent Rabbanim at the White House for a meeting expected to address issues affecting the Jewish community across the United States. Among those invited are leading Admorim, including Bobov, Satmar, Viznitz-Monsey, and Skver, along with other leaders.