The following is an unedited Politico article:
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner will be flying aboard Air Force One to Saudi Arabia with President Donald Trump on Friday, after receiving a rabbinical dispensation to travel on the Jewish Sabbath, according to a White House official.
As practicing Orthodox Jews, Trump’s daughter and son-in-law typically observe the weekly Shabbat holiday, unplugging from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. But they have made exceptions, on a few occasions, for their jobs.
On Inauguration Day, they received the same kind of rabbinical pass to travel by car, an activity that is typically prohibited for observant Jews on the Sabbath. The rules can be broken in life-threatening situations, or if there is a safety concern, according to Jewish law. It was not clear on what grounds the exception was made to accompany the president on his first international trip.
During the 2016 campaign, Kushner also broke Shabbat during the worst crisis to engulf Trump. He huddled with his father-in-law in Trump Tower after the release of the damaging “Access Hollywood” tape in October of 2016 that showed Trump bragging about kissing and groping women without their consent.
Trump’s first stop on his nine-day, five-country tour will be Saudi Arabia, a leg of the trip that Kushner has been deeply involved in organizing.
In her new book, “Women Who Work,” Ivanka Trump writes about how her family observes the weekly Jewish holiday. “From sundown Friday to Saturday night, my family and I observe the Shabbat,” she wrote. “During this time, we disconnect completely — no emails, no TV, no phone calls, no Internet. We enjoy uninterrupted time together and it’s wonderful.” She added: “It’s enormously important to unplug and devote that time to each other. We enjoy long meals together, we read, we take walks in the city, we nap, and just hang out.”
(Source: Politico)
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12 Responses
Why does this have to be publicized? Being Michallel Shabbos befarhesia is a chiyuv Karais! This is terrible. When people read/hear about such zilzul of Shabbos R”L, it lessens their Yiras Shomayim. This causes Chillul Hashem!
after the release of the damaging “Access Hollywood” tape in October of 2016 that showed Trump bragging about kissing and groping women without their consent.
did you have to be so specific just thought it was inappropriate for a site that calls themselves Yeshivah World
a little tip when you copy paste you need to make sure you read it first
Its not our nusiness. If they are more “modern” they dont need to tell us they “got a heter”. It makes me appreciate former Senator Liberman more.
Ah! How great our rabbis are, that with the stroke of a pen, they can rise above the words of The Torah and even the words of the master of the universe, blessed be he. I can picture the ceremony now. Jared bows his head before The rabbi as The Rabbi places his hand on Jared’s head and says “Muttar loch, Muttar loch, Muttar loch” This is how rabbinical dispensations are created. Or maybe, the case is with the much greater rabbis, that no ceremony is required, just the stroke of a pen, or maybe even just the verbal statement. Amazing!
Just for information purposes, Rashi in this week’s parsha says:
לא תעשו לכם אלילים. כנגד זה הנמכר לנכרי שלא יאמר… הואיל ורבי מחלל שבת אף אני כמותו לכך נאמרו מקראות הללו
Most rabbonim would question the need to fly on Shabbos but they have a heter from their own Rav so thats all they care about. They could have taken a flight over yesterday if they really cared about Shabbos but its not our business. More interesting will be how they interact with the Saudis and some of the other Arab leaders who have Israeli blood on their hands. Apparently they’ve also arranged to fly in the best Chassideshe mashgichim from 5T so Kashruth also is not a concern.
who is this rabbi that keeps coming up with these crazy heterim? thats my concern not what the kushners are doing as i really don’t give a hoot. but this rabbi needs to go back to the books. i know who it was by the inauguration i wonder if its the same rabbi
not news worthy.
To Anon 21:
Their Rav is Rav Yechezkel Mordechai Lookstein, Shlita, also known as the “KJ Rebbe”. He has authored multiple heterim on when its ok to be mechallel Shabbos including the widely acclaimed heter for the son-in-law of the President to drive to inaugural balls in the name of hidur malchusah.
Why does YWN feel the need to call them “Orthodox” just because they like the idea of there being Orthodox Jews in this administration. They aren’t. Clearly.
They are modern orthodox. If they weren’t looking for such heterim they would be hareidi. Do they manage to arrange for a non-Jew s to do all their malachos for them (probably). How do they handle food? Davening?
The gemara at the end of Avoda Zarah tells that Isser the Ger reported that beforehand, he and his friends assumed the Jews desecrated Shabbos in time of need. And the gemara explains that indeed people did not desecrate the Shabbos, it merely seemed that way to outsiders. Nuff said…
I’ve been watching the CNN and other media video feeds from the meetings in Saudi Arabia. The two of them seem to be very engaged in discussions with the leaders of the many arab countries represented. If their being there does anything to promote peace with EY or even facilitates discussions, than it was probably worthwhile for them to travel with the President, Shabbos or not.