An Evening at The White House

On Dec. 8 at the White House, politics came to stand still for one brief, shining moment as a cross section of Jews from across the United States came to celebrate Chanukah and perhaps more than just that. I decided to share with The Jewish Star readership the extraordinary feeling of inclusion as I entered the South West gates of the White House.
Indeed for those of us who appreciate history, entering the White House to the singing of traditional Chanukah melodies is an acknowledgment of how far our community has come from the dark days of the Holocaust when our rabbis were not allowed anywhere near the White House to plead on behalf of our forefathers who were being killed by the millions. To those of you who know to what I am referring to, you what I am talking about. To those that don’t know, it is important for you to find out.
Symbolism is important--in many ways that is the message of Chanukah when we display our symbols for the world to see!
There are many ways to be a host and many ways to be a guest. Thursday night at the White House I saw an extraordinary display of unity… a night bereft of politics, partisanship, or division. Jews of all stripes, Republicans, Democrats and Independents and indeed of all levels of observance, all gathered together to acknowledge that we are all Jews who are grateful to these United States for the privilege of practicing our religion.
Yes, indeed, that was what the evening represented. A White House that hosted an evening Glatt Kosher L’mehadrin is a testament and a strong statement that we, the Jewish people, can observe unhindered, but even more so--we can contribute to our Nation without conflicts.
So it wasn’t just the opportunity to eat on White House china and utensils kashered under the supervision of Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive VP of American Friends of Lubavitch in Washington, DC, whose emphasis on Pas Yisroel and chasidish schehita indicated that the cuisine was permitted, but it is sending us a message that we can prosper in these United States and conduct ourselves in the same fashion as individuals whose observance is the centrality of our lives.