✡️ 🇺🇸 ✊️ The Hasidic Jews Behind Florida's Giant Golden Trump Statue - Haaretz

As a giant gold statue of U.S. President Donald Trump was unveiled in Florida last week, a group of Hasidic ultra-Orthodox Jews joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony, while Trump personally thanked them for their contribution during a phone call documented at the event.

The 6.7-meter (22-foot) statue was installed at Trump National Doral Miami, a golf resort in Doral, South Florida and received widespread ridicule on X for resembling a modern-day "golden calf."

Trump was documented speaking on the phone with Flitchkin and Friedman, according to the Yiddish-language X page Kanynahora, with Burns holding the iPhone while the president was on the line. "I want to thank you so much… I love that name," Trump told Friedman, adding: "It's turned out to be a beautiful piece of art. I hope you're happy with it."

"It's an honor to be here," Flitchkin said, to which Trump replied: "Come up and see me in the Oval."

Flitchkin is the executive director of the Alliance for Global Cooperation, an organization that says it "promotes international peace & security" – though its website is currently inaccessible. He is also listed as an "angel investor" in a group called "Bilateral Navigator," where he is described as "a prominent philanthropist" who is "active at the UN in interfaith and intercultural dialogue."

He has previously been involved in several events directly associated with Trump, including the president's second inauguration in January 2025, where he held a small replica of the Trump statue. During that ceremony, Flitchkin was photographed with Burns, then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Brock Pierce, a former child actor turned crypto entrepreneur, who was also present at last week's statue dedication and cut the ribbon alongside Flitchkin.

In addition, Flitchkin was one of two guests who visited Ukraine in October 2025 to take part in the opening ceremony for the "Trump Peace Park." The park, located in the Jewish village of Anatevka, was built in honor of Trump's "global peace efforts, particularly in Israel," according to Moshe Azman, Ukraine's chief rabbi. Burns was documented alongside Flitchkin in Ukraine last year, where the evangelical pastor urged Trump to provide Ukraine with military aid, including U.S. tanks and F-35 fighter jets.

On his Instagram page, Flitchkin features photos of himself with Argentine President Javier Milei, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and far-right American broadcaster Tucker Carlson, among other leaders.

📎 Haaretz