President Trump Pays Tribute to Lubavitcher Rebbe in Letter Marking 31st Anniversary of His Passing

President Donald Trump, on the eve of the 31st anniversary of the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, issued a letter to Chabad emissaries worldwide in which he honored the Rebbe as “one of the most dynamic and influential faith leaders in modern history” and reflected on how he personally drew “strength and inspiration” from his enduring legacy.

In his message, Trump recognized Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson’s profound influence on Jewish life and global faith leadership, highlighting his efforts to rekindle spiritual strength in the wake of the Holocaust.

“Melania and I are honored to send our greetings on the occasion of the yahrtzeit (the anniversary of a person’s passing, observed through prayer and study) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe,” the letter reads. “As I affirmed in my Proclamation on Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., the Rebbe was one of the most dynamic and influential faith leaders in modern history.”

Trump credited the Rebbe’s teachings as a source of inspiration for the First Step Act—his administration’s landmark criminal justice reform bill—and acknowledged Chabad’s extensive spiritual and social outreach across the country.

This year’s observance falls on Sunday, June 29, and is expected to draw more than 50,000 people to the Rebbe’s resting place in Queens, New York. Known as the Ohel, the site has become one of the most visited Jewish sacred spaces in North America. It is the burial place of the Rebbe alongside his father-in-law, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, and has served as a spiritual destination for people of all backgrounds since Rabbi Schneerson’s passing on June 12, 1994.

President Trump visited the Ohel on October 7, 2024, one year after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel. The visit took place during a period in which the president had survived two assassination attempts within a matter of weeks—a chapter he described as deeply challenging both personally and nationally.

“When I visited the Ohel… I drew strength and inspiration from the Rebbe’s legacy,” Trump wrote. Reflecting on the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, he added: “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.”

Alexander’s family had joined Trump for the visit, along with many other relatives of hostages taken during the October 7 attacks.

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