The White House held a virtual Passover celebration that was full of firsts
Advertisement
Darcy Schild
Mar 27, 2021, 21:18 IST
US Vice President Kamala Harris participates in the White House's Virtual Passover Celebration with Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, on March 25, 2021.JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
The White House on Thursday held its first virtual Passover seder ahead of the Jewish holiday.
It was led by Doug Emhoff, who's the first Jewish spouse in a presidential administration.
Emhoff, Kamala Harris, and the Bidens offered wishes for in-person celebrations next year.
Advertisement
The White House held its first virtual seder, a ceremonial dinner held on the Jewish holiday Passover, which begins Saturday at sundown.
While there have been other White House seders in the past, this year's was especially significant because it was hosted by second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who's Jewish.
It was also the first White House Passover seder to be open to the public, according to The Forward.
During the event, which was live-streamed on Thursday - ahead of the start of the holiday - Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris' husband, recognized his historic role in the administration.
"I'm excited to join you as the first-ever second gentleman, married to the first woman to serve as vice president of the United States, and as the first Jewish spouse of a president or a vice president," Emhoff said during the event, per CNN.
Advertisement
A post shared by Vice President Kamala Harris (@vp)
Emhoff spoke about celebrating Passover as a child, which he said often involved attending seder at his grandmother's home in Brooklyn.
"Now, of course, it's exactly what you're picturing. That apartment. The plastic covering on the sofa. The smell of brisket wafting in from the kitchen," Emhoff said. "And me, sitting there at the table, patiently waiting, just waiting, to dig into that delightfully gelatinous gefilte fish, which inexplicably I still love today."
"Our family, like so many families in the United States, in the State of Israel and around the world, will begin to celebrate the sacred holiday of Passover this weekend," Harris said. "The story of Passover is powerful. It reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of injustice. It urges us to keep the faith in the face of uncertainty."
"As Jewish families across the country and around the world mark this important tradition, we know you're all setting the seder table with heavy hearts, but also with hope for the year ahead," the president said.
The first lady spoke about the story of Passover, saying: "This celebration is Jewish, but its message is universal."
A White House official told The Forward's Jacob Kornbluh that the Biden administration wanted the seder event to be "at least one thing to bring people together," as many of those celebrating the holiday are, like in 2020, not doing so in a traditional way - or are without extended family or friends.
There have been White House seders in the past, but none with the reach of the virtual celebration held on Thursday, which had at least 34,000 viewers, an administration official told CNN.
According to CNN, the Obama administration held an annual invite-only Passover seder, and when Donald Trump was president, his administration held a private seder in 2017.
Advertisement
{{}}
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.
A $400,000 house got 122 offers in 2 days, highlighting the desperate frenzy buyers are facing amid skyrocketing real-estate prices and a dearth of homes for sale
Some airlines are giving travelers another year to use travel credits before they expire
One of the first American tourists back in Iceland reveals what he went through to enter the country under its new entry rules for vaccinated travelers