In Letter To Chabad Leaders, Trump Cites ‘Strength And Inspiration’ He Gets From The Rebbe’s Legacy

Trump’s letter highlighted the role the Rebbe played in launching the“renaissance of Jewish faith in the dark days following the Holocaust”, and noted that “his teachings were a core inspiration for criminal justice reform, as seen in the First Step Act.”

“As time has worn on, his many blessings have only increased,” wrote the president.

President Trump made a personal prayer visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel on Oct. 7, 2024, the first anniversary of the horrific Palestinian terrorist attack in Israel.

“When I visited the Ohel … I drew strength and inspiration from the Rebbe’s legacy,” he wrote. “When Edan Alexander returned to his loving parents earlier this year, after an unimaginable ordeal in the hands of Hamas, the entire country felt the power of the Ohel and the Rebbe’s enduring example. As is frequently cited in the Talmud, the Rebbe lived by the principle that when you save one life, you save an entire world.”

Hundreds of family members of hostages held in Gaza have made pilgrimages to the Ohel since the attacks, and Alexander’s family accompanied the president to the Ohel on his October visit. Edan was freed from captivity on May 12.

The Rebbe’s Ohel is the most visited Jewish holy site in North America, drawing people from all walks of life in a way similar only to the Western Wall in Israel. It is common for people to visit the Ohel to pray in proximity to a personal or professional milestone—whether a bar or bat mitzvah, wedding, anniversary, starting a new business or overcoming personal challenges. At the time of his visit, the president had survived two assassination attempts in nearly as many months.

In his letter, addressed to the Rebbe’s thousands of Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries and the millions of people around the world whom he continues to inspire, Trump noted that he draws strength from the Rebbe’s legacy as he navigates an increasingly complicated world.

“Through great strength, unflinching resolve, and much prayer, I am committed to restoring peace throughout the world—not least in the Middle East, as we witnessed over the past week—and to stamping out anti-Semitic hate wherever it rears its head. In doing this, we will restore to its tradition of greatness and usher in a new Golden Age for the entire world. This, I believe, is the Rebbe’s legacy.”