Hasidic Rabbis Meet Trump at White House, Reportedly Seek Help Shielding Yeshiva Students From IDF Draft

A delegation of Hasidic rabbis met with President Trump at the White House on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Hebrew-language media reported the delegation had drafted a letter asking Trump to intervene on behalf of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students seeking to avoid conscription into the Israel Defense Forces, though the letter was reportedly withheld at the last moment. The meeting adds an unusual data point to Trump's engagement with Israeli domestic politics, where the ultra-Orthodox draft-exemption fight has repeatedly threatened to collapse Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing coalition.