Mitchell Silk’s New Book on Being the First Hasidic Jew in a Senate-Confirmed U.S. Government Role

It’s not commonplace to reach the highest rungs of the U.S. government. Rarer still? A Chinese-speaking Hasidic Jew being Senate-confirmed to a top role.

That’s the story of Mitchell Silk, who served as Assistant Secretary for International Markets at the U.S. Department of Treasury — the first Hasidic Jew to hold a presidentially-nominated, Senate-confirmed position. His new book, A Seat at the Table: An Inside Account of Trump’s Global Economic Revolution (out September 16, 2025), offers a rare inside look at providence, perseverance, and faith in the corridors of power.

Silk’s path to Washington began far from Capitol Hill. He grew up in a Chicago suburb, and in high school, worked full-time in a Chinese restaurant to help support his family. To succeed, Silk taught himself Cantonese in the kitchen, later adding Mandarin through study in Taiwan and Beijing — a skillset that propelled him into decades of work as a China expert.

That determination fueled three decades of legal practice in banking, finance, energy, and infrastructure, where he became a recognized authority on complex, cross-border projects across Asia and Latin America. At Treasury, he advanced U.S. interests in financial stability, trade, and development; spearheaded América Crecé, an initiative that spurred infrastructure growth in the Western Hemisphere through private capital; and led a $94 billion airline relief package during COVID.

Colleagues often remarked on his unusual diplomatic style. While many defaulted to hard bargaining, Silk leaned on patience, respect, and what he calls the “personal touch.” This may have started as a professional strategy, but perhaps it was rooted in his awareness of what it meant to stand out visibly as a Hasidic Jew in the halls of power. 

“I went into the Treasury Department and into the White House every day of the week, looking exactly as I do,” he recalled, referencing his beard, black hat, yarmulke, black suit, white shirt, and tie — garb worn by many Orthodox Jews. “People wouldn’t mistake me for anything else. And because of that reality, I knew that all eyes were on me at all times…every little facial expression, every word that I said, every movement, every action was the difference between creating a positive impression or less than positive impression.”

That sense of scrutiny, he explains, was the essence of kiddush Hashem, sanctifying God’s name through how he carried himself in the most high-stakes environments.

But beyond the policy wins, Silk insists his career has always been about service. Inspired by his immigrant grandfather’s devotion to family and community, he frames his legacy simply: “Doing work for the community, serving the public, is in our DNA,” he says. “Giving time, giving energy, giving what we have. And really, that is one of the most fundamental and basic underpinnings that drove me.”

Looking back, Silk says he “very much saw God’s hand in all of the twists and turns and events and progression” of his career. Perhaps that is the truest meaning of his story: he was given a seat at the table — against all odds — and he knew exactly how to use it.

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