A senior haredi rabbi and leader of the Kaliv Hassidic movement praised President Trump this week for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and pledging to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem.

In a video message, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taub, Grand Rebbe of the Kaliv Hassidic movement’s Israeli branch, lauded President Trump, and urged the 45th president not to be deterred by critics.

“My dear President of the United States, I am very, very happy since I saw this morning, what the President of the United States did a few weeks [ago], [that you] had the greatness to talk to the whole world [about Jerusalem].”

The 94-year-old rabbi, a Holocaust survivor who suffered at the hands of the infamous SS officer Josef Mengele during his captivity in the Auschwitz concentration camp, later immigrated to the United States, gaining US citizenship before moving to Israel.

“Now let me tell you my dear president, I am already 65 years a citizen of the United States. And I’ve lived for more than 50 years here in Israel.”

“I now more than 90 [years old] and I am broken from everything, ninety percent of my family were [killed in the Holocaust]. Now, to hear from the President of the United States [that he is recognizing Jerusalem], that makes people are jealous that the president did such nice things [for Israel].

“President Trump, after God saved me from Auschwitz, they wanted to throw me in a fire. And I said to the Almighty, “Help me. Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeynu, Hashem Ehad” [Hear, O Israel, The Lord is our God, the Lord is One]. My God, let me live.

“After miracles upon miracles, the Almighty helped me… and I came to the United States. But then I said ‘I must come to Jerusalem.’

“I want to wish you from the depths of my heart that you should have great success. Don’t worry if people are talking bad about you. The Almighty is with you and He should help you and the world should know that the US helps everybody, anytime. Thank you very much and a lot of blessings to you.”