U.S. President Donald Trump wrote a public letter to the Chassidic Chabad-Lubavitch movement on Sunday, marking the 31st yahrzeit (death anniversary) of its leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
“Melania and I are honored to send our greetings on the occasion of the yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe,” the president wrote.
Hailing Schneerson as “one of the most dynamic and influential faith leaders in modern history,” Trump noted the rabbi’s “tremendous impact on American spiritual life,” even after his death.
“As time has worn on, his many blessings have only increased,” the president said, noting the Rebbe’s contributions to U.S. criminal justice reform and the social services Chabad-Lubavitch provides to Jews around the world.
“When I visited the Ohel on the anniversary of the terrible attacks of October 7, I drew strength and inspiration from the Rebbe’s legacy,” Trump continued, referencing visits he made to Schneerson’s grave site in Queens, N.Y.
“When Edan Alexander was 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,” he said, in a reference to Israeli-American hostage Alexander’s release from captivity in the Gaza Strip on May 12.
“As is frequently cited in the Talmud, the Rebbe lived by the principle that when you save one life, you save an entire world,” Trump wrote, stressing his commitment to world peace and combating Jew-hatred.
“In doing this, we will restore our country to its tradition of greatness and usher in a new Golden Age for the entire world,” the president continued, concluding: “This, I believe, is the Rebbe’s legacy.”
Today is the 31st yahrzeit of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory.
— Motti Seligson (@mottiseligson) June 29, 2025
President @realDonaldTrump wrote a letter to the millions inspired by the Rebbe across our country and around the world about his personal inspiration from the Rebbe. pic.twitter.com/82mhlss0qu
Two months ago, Trump declared April 9, 2025, as “Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A.” in honor of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s birthday.
Trump said the Rebbe was “a transformational teacher and a spiritual force who, from the ashes of the Holocaust, established one of the most vibrant, joyous and significant religious movements of the modern era.”
Schneerson was born 123 years ago on April 18. He died in Manhattan in 1994 on the Hebrew date of 3 Tammuz, which in 2025 fell on June 29.
