US President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance have met a group of ultra-Orthodox rabbis, among them members of sects that are anti-Israel.
The meeting on Thursday was part of Mr Trump’s annual engagement with the Jewish community before the Rosh Hashanah new year holiday.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, one member of the delegation described the occasion as an opportunity for a president to meet the lead rabbis of the largest ultra-Orthodox sects, which he described as “visibly Jewish people”.
As well as the exchanging of holiday greetings, reports suggest the meeting was also an opportunity to discuss issues affecting Hasidic communities in the US and in Israel.
The Yeshiva World reported that the delegation called on Mr Trump to support exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox men in Israel, an issue that has caused sometimes violent protests in the country.
The rabbinical delegation included members of the Satmar and Skver communities, ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups that, among other beliefs, reject the legitimacy of the state of Israel. Both groups believe that Jews are forbidden from creating their own sovereign state before the arrival of the messiah.
Unlike the fringe Neturei Karta community, whose anti-Israel beliefs have frequently led members to march in pro-Palestine protests, the Satmar and Skver communities focus on rejecting Israeli government authority.
Members of these communities have organised protests in New York, where they have a large presence, against the Israeli military draft.
After decades of exemption, in 2024, the Israeli government announced that members of the ultra-Orthodox community would be subject to the nationwide military draft.
Many ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel believe full-time religious study is their occupation and serving in the military would disrupt that.
