Five elderly Holocaust survivors stood in the Oval Office this week and offered President Donald Trump a traditional Hebrew blessing for health, strength, and leadership. Trump accepted it, standing, and thanked the women deeply for their prayers.
The intimate gathering, which took place at the White House and was spotlighted Tuesday by Special Assistant to the President Margo Martin, brought together five female survivors for what staffers described as an exceptionally warm and candid conversation with the commander in chief. The meeting ran longer than scheduled because Trump wanted to hear each woman’s individual story of survival.
Mrs. Blau, a survivor from the Orthodox Jewish community of Borough Park, Brooklyn, spoke with Jewish news outlet Belaaz about the experience. She described the visit as deeply moving and emotional.
“The entire experience was deeply moving, and meeting Jared Kushner was an absolute highlight of the visit,” Mrs. Blau told Belaaz, as per One American News.
During the conversation, Trump asked the women directly about what they had endured during the Holocaust and how they managed to survive. Mrs. Blau seized the moment to deliver a message close to her heart.
“Always keep Israel in your thoughts,” she urged the president.
“Of course, of course, Madam,” Trump warmly replied.
The afternoon wasn’t without lighter moments. Mrs. Blau shared several candid observations with Belaaz, humorously remarking that Secretary of State Marco Rubio looked “like a little boy” in person. She also complimented the president, noting that Trump was “even better looking in real life.”
Before the survivors departed, each received a presidential coin taken directly from the president’s desk in the Oval Office. When asked what she planned to do with the keepsake, Mrs. Blau admitted she was still undecided.
“It’s not a Rebbishe coin,” she remarked with a witty nod to her background, referencing the traditional coins distributed by Chassidic Rabbis that are typically designated for charity or kept as spiritual blessings.
Martin shared a photograph on social media capturing the gathering. The image shows all five women standing warmly alongside President Trump around the Resolute Desk.
The meeting comes more than a year after Trump signed an executive order on January 29, 2025, titled “Additional Measures To Combat Anti-Semitism.” That order required heads of executive departments and agencies to report on civil and criminal authorities they can use to tackle antisemitism, including pending complaints and court cases related to college campus hatred following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
For Mrs. Blau and her fellow survivors, the visit represented something profound. These women, who witnessed humanity’s darkest chapter firsthand, offered blessings and counsel to the leader of the free world. And by all accounts, he listened.
