WASHINGTON — The rabbi injured during Saturday’s deadly shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue has flown to Washington, D.C., after receiving an invitation to Thursday’s National Day of Prayer event at the White House.

President Donald Trump extended the invitation to Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein earlier this week as the two spoke in the aftermath of the shooting, during which Goldstein lost his right index finger. Goldstein told MSNBC Monday that Trump spoke to him “like a friend, like a buddy.”

“He was just exceedingly kind and sensitive,” Goldstein said. “We spoke for close to 15 minutes. I thought to myself, for the president of the United States of America to take time out of his day to talk to me about the issues at hand is absolutely incredible and admirable.”

Before departing for the capital Wednesday morning, Goldstein met with Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s advisor on Israel, who called the rabbi “a pillar of strength.” Since the shooting, Goldstein has called for the greater Jewish community to show solidarity with the victims and show strength in the face of bigotry and anti-Semitism.

“This Friday night go to your synagogue,” Goldstein said during a news conference Sunday. “We need to fill up this room. We need to show them that terrorism, evil, will never prevail.”