Donald Trump will make a stop at a popular Hasidic restaurant in Williamsburg on Thursday afternoon, according to reports in Haredi media and the owner of the restaurant.

In a video posted by Williamsburg365, the owner of Gottlieb’s, Menashe Gottlieb, reports being visited by the Secret Service on Sunday to inform him about a “high profile” visit. Though vague to start with, he suggests that it later became clear that they were referring to the former president.

Visiting Hasidic Williamsburg fits Trump’s playbook of holding events in places where he’d be surrounded by many fans, even if it’s in a state he is nearly guaranteed to lose. New York state and city will be blue in November, but Trump’s support among Hasidim in Williamsburg is above 90%. Even some of the reddest districts can’t match the support he enjoys in places like Hasidic Williamsburg, Boro Park, Monsey, or, especially, New Square where Trump received almost 100% of the votes in 2020.

It also comes at a time when Trump has been courting Jewish voters across the country, many of whom are disenchanted with the Democrats’ lukewarm support for Israel’s war in Gaza, compared to the more unqualified support they hear from Republicans. An enthusiastic pit stop in the heart of Hasidic Williamsburg would also go a long way to reassure voters that Trump is not racist and to remind his Evangelical supporters, too, of his support for Israel.

The Trump campaign largely identifies Jewish American interests with support for Israel, and  he routinely lectures Jews who vote Democrat and says they need to get their heads examined. So, it may seem odd to come to a Hasidic neighborhood to show support for Israel, since most Hasidic sects are anti-Zionist and believe that Israel as it exists is not legitimate. For them, Israel must not only be a Jewish state, but must follow the Haredi definition of Judaism.

But, although Hasidic Jews have a reputation of being anti-Israel, the reality is more nuanced. Most American Haredim, including Hasidim, are staunchly supportive of Israel and want to ensure its security, especially since many have relatives living there. Even at a sectarian level they want it to be a safe country since the grand rabbis of several dynasties and sects live in Israel. On top of that, there are numerous holy sites throughout Israel where Haredim from North America often visit and pray.

Though they are committed to the safety of people and places in Israel, Haredim object to serving in the Israeli military. Indeed, recently, there have been highly visible Haredi protests in both Israel and America against compulsory national service in the IDF. Haredim insist that their Torah study is what protects the Jewish people. Some sects even refuse to recognize what they consider to be an illegitimate, secular Israeli government, boycotting elections and school funding, fearing it will draw them into the Zionist project.

Since its founding in 1962 by Zoltan Gottlieb, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor, Gottlieb’s has been a popular local deli. As the number of kosher delis has dwindled from thousands to a handful, Gottliebs has also been a magnet for those looking for an authentic kosher NYC experience, whether in James and Karla Murray’s “Store Front NYC: Photographs of the City's Independent Shops, Past and Present” or Tripping Kosher. 

Trump will go from Brooklyn to Washington, D.C. where he will co-host a “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America Event” with Miriam Adelson, one of his largest single donors, and then on to speak at the Adelson-funded Israeli-American Council. 

The appeal to politicians of a stop at a New York Jewish deli is clear – especially to ones wanting to send a message to the entire country that they are popular in the heart of Jewish New York. And, with its distinctive, old school appearance, Gottlieb’s is such an archetypal brand that a visit sends a clear message of solidarity. 

It doesn’t hurt that the food is also widely acclaimed as being delicious comfort food. One Hasidic person told Williamsburg365 that the president will have no choice but to try the ethnic Jewish food Cholent because “he has Jewish grandchildren.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Thursday, September 19, 12:35pm:

According to reports from the Satmar community, Joseph Gottlieb – owner of Gottlieb’s restaurant and father of co-owner Menashe Gottlieb – passed away this morning. As a result, the projected visit of Donald Trump to the restaurant has been canceled.