Orthodox Jews – the New Jewish Elite

Recent White House meeting attended by Agudah

(Fred) Trump was very moved by the idea my father expressed and the two became close friends. Fred proceeded to donate a piece of real estate for the shul, and he even made a very generous donation so that a magnificent shul building could be built.” 

According to Rabbi Wagner, not only did Fred Trump donate the plot of land where the shul was built and cover the expenses of the construction, but he also attended the ceremony at which the cornerstone was laid. “Fred was very moved by my father’s speech at the ceremony.  

He was highly impressed, and he became my father’s close friend. They met again and again, and over time they developed a close relationship. Trump viewed my father as a holy man and a great sage. He used to call him ‘my rabbi.’ 

Adding weight to the Modern Orthodox circle of influence is another New Jersey activist - Morton Friedman, who was recently selected to serve as the next president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Friedman will be only the second Orthodox Jew to serve at AIPAC’s helm.

He was previously NORPAC’s vice president. AIPAC has proven in the past its ability to choose top leaders in line with the president occupying the White House. After Obama’s election in 2008, the lobby turned to fellow Chicago liberal Lee Rosenberg to serve as president. Now it is reaching out to Mort Friedman, an Orthodox conservative who may be closer to White House Jewish players.

The Zionist Organization of America, which was largely ignored by the Obama White House, is also seeing its star rise under the new administration. It was the first to score a meeting with a member of the Trump team after the election. President Mort Klein met in New York with an aide, Anthony Scaramucci. He left the White House shortly after.

The Orthodox Union raised its profile by lobbying in support of David Friedman’s confirmation. Chabad welcomed Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump to Washington...