Blog Posts Related to the American Jewish Community
What President Obama Said to the Adas Israel Congregation:
Posted by on May 26, 2015 at 7:15 PM EDT
"Jewish American life is a testimony to the capacity to make our values live. But it requires courage. It requires strength. It requires that we speak the truth not just when it's easy, but when it's hard."
— President Obama
Last Friday, President Obama spoke to the Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C., which became the first synagogue to host a sitting president when President Grant attended a service back in 1876. It was also the first synagogue to host Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This reflects how deeply Jewish heritage is woven into the fabric of American life -- both in our values and our vision for the future.
Learn more aboutPresident Obama Welcomes Chabad-Lubavitch to the White House
Posted by on April 27, 2015 at 8:21 PM EDT
President Barack Obama presents a ceremonial copy of the Education and Sharing Day Proclamation that he issued on March 31, 2015 to a delegation from the American Friends of Lubavitch in the Oval Office, April 27, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
On Monday, April 27, President Obama welcomed a delegation from Chabad-Lubavitch into the Oval Office to commemorate Education and Sharing Day, USA. Established by Congress in 1978 to honor the life’s work of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson (1902-1994), the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Education and Sharing Day provides an opportunity to focus on education's importance and recognize the contributions Rabbi Schneerson made during his lifetime in the fields of education and morality, ethics and justice.
Since the establishment of Education and Sharing Day, which occurs on the Rebbe’s birthday, every President has issued an annual Proclamation marking "Education and Sharing Day, USA". This year’s Education and Sharing Day Proclamation acknowledges the emphasis Rabbi Schneerson placed on the education of girls, noting: “In an era where a woman's education was not valued the same as a man's, the Rebbe worked to tear down barriers that stood in the way of girls who wanted to learn.”
Learn more aboutPresident Obama Offers Easter and Passover Greetings
Posted by on April 4, 2015 at 9:00 AM EDTIn a special video message, President Obama offered his warmest wishes to people across the country and around the world celebrating the Easter and Passover holidays.
Last night, the President and First Lady hosted a Seder here at the White House to mark the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Tomorrow, the First Family will celebrate Easter, reflecting on Christ's sacrifice and embracing the hope that this sacred season represents.
"Whether we’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, or Buddhist; whether faith in God shapes our daily lives completely or not at all, we believe that with common effort, and shared sacrifice, a brighter future is just around the bend," the President said. "And we embrace our obligation to do something meaningful, something lasting, with the precious time we’ve been allotted on this Earth."
The President also encouraged all Americans to "pause and give thanks for the chance to live in a country where everyone has the right to worship and pray and love as they choose."
Watch the President's Easter and Passover greetings below:
Learn more about ,Celebrating Passover at the White House
Posted by on April 3, 2015 at 10:23 PM EDT
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host a Passover Seder dinner in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House, April 3, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
For the seventh year in a row, President and Mrs. Obama hosted the annual White House Seder. The Seder provides an opportunity for the First Family to join in retelling the story of the Israelites’ arduous journey through the desert from slavery in Egypt to liberation in the Promised Land. In recounting the story, they joined their guests in performing the Seder rituals and followed the Haggadah’s command that we see ourselves as though we personally were liberated from Egypt. And they acknowledged how this story has inspired generations of Americans in the struggle for civil rights.
This year’s Seder continued a new tradition of having a guest chef. Susan Barocas, one of the inaugural guest chefs from last year – and Washington-based filmmaker and foodie – returned again this year to assist White House Chef Cris Comerford with the meal and brought new additions to the menu, including Moroccan Haroset Balls from the Sephardic tradition, and dishes emphasizing seasonal ingredients, including beets, squash, spring onions, radishes, arugula, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. These recipes were combined with family recipes provided by several of the Seder’s attendees.
Learn more aboutChief of Staff Denis McDonough Underscores America’s Solidarity with France, and with Jewish Communities Across the World
Posted by on January 14, 2015 at 3:29 PM EDTOn Tuesday, January 13, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough joined Members of Congress; France’s Ambassador to the U.S., His Excellency Gérard Araud; the American Jewish Committee (AJC); and hundreds of people from the local Jewish community and many other Jewish organizations at “A Gathering of Solidarity and Remembrance With the People of France and Its Jewish Community” at Congregation Adas Israel in Washington, D.C.
His remarks underscored our nation’s solidarity with the people of France and with Jewish communities throughout the world following the terrorist attacks in Paris, as well as our commitment to combat the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe and around the world.
McDonough’s remarks as delivered follow:
Thank you for the opportunity to join you this evening to pay tribute to the victims and heroes from last week’s terrorist attacks in France. On behalf of the President, I am here to affirm our nation’s solidarity with the French people and the Jewish community in France and around the world, to condemn in the strongest terms the violent attacks of last week and to remember the precious lives of the fallen.
The violence, hatred and intolerance that motivated these senseless attacks upon people going about their daily lives – at work at Charlie Hebdo or at their local kosher supermarket just before Sabbath, must be condemned and will be defeated.
I’m honored to be here this evening with Ambassador Araud, AJC, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Alan and Judy [Gross], a couple that personifies strength and perseverance, and all of you who have come here tonight in solidarity and remembrance with our brothers and sisters in France and all of you who have come here tonight in solidarity and remembrance with our brothers and sisters in France.
As President Obama has said, France is our oldest ally. Ours is a relationship that goes back centuries to the founding of our two great republics. We stand in solidarity with the French people, and share a steadfast commitment to the values of liberty, free expression, coexistence, and religious freedom that were so cruelly and violently assaulted in Paris last week.
The violent assault on the Jewish community in France that took place on Friday afternoon – as the Jewish community in Paris was in the final hours of preparing for the restfulness and peace of the Sabbath – was the latest in a series of troubling incidents in Europe and around the world that reflect a rising tide of anti-Semitism.
We will not waver in our commitment to combating the scourge of anti-Semitism. This is not an issue for any single community or nation to deal with by itself. We must all do our part. And we will. From the President on down, you have my commitment that we will wage this fight together.
Thank you for giving me and my colleagues the opportunity to be with you this evening.
The Chief of Staff was joined at the service by White House colleagues, including Charlie Kupchan, NSC Senior Director for Europe; Steve Pomper, NSC Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights; Melissa Rogers, Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; and Matt Nosanchuk, NSC Director for Outreach. In addition, Julieta Valls Noyes, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, and Ira Forman, Special Envoy to Monitor Combat Anti-Semitism, represented the State Department.
Learn more about ,A Real Festival of Lights: Hanukkah at the White House 2014/5775
Posted by on December 19, 2014 at 8:59 AM EDTOn Wednesday, December 17, the President and Mrs. Obama welcomed members of the American Jewish community to the White House to celebrate Hanukkah. For the second year, they hosted two receptions in the Grand Foyer of the White House. Guests represented the breadth of the Jewish community, including leaders from a wide range of local and national Jewish organizations, religious leaders representing the various Jewish denominations, state and local elected officials, Administration officials, Members of Congress, academics, musicians, authors, and other members of the Jewish community.
The receptions featured performances from Jewish college a cappella groups and the U.S. Marine Band. The food preparation occurred under the strict rabbinical supervision of Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Lubavitch Center of Washington (Chabad), in cooperation with the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington.
Learn more aboutPresident Obama: "Happy Hanukkah, Everybody!"
Posted by on December 17, 2014 at 7:23 PM EDTWe've koshered the kitchen and set up the menorah. And this afternoon, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed hundreds of guests here at the White House for the second night of Hanukkah.
Joined by the First Lady and Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson of the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, President Obama retold the story of Hanukkah, "a story that took place more than 2,000 years ago, when a small group of Maccabees rose up to defeat their far more powerful oppressors."
In the face of overwhelming odds, they reclaimed their city and the right to worship as they chose. And in their victory, they found there wasn’t enough oil to keep the flame in their temple alive. But they lit the oil they had and, miraculously, the flame that was supposed to burn for just one night burned for eight. The Hanukkah story teaches us that our light can shine brighter than we could ever imagine with faith, and it’s up to us to provide that first spark.
The President also took time to highlight a new Hanukkah story: the return of American aid worker Alan Gross from Cuba.
Five Things to Know About How President Obama’s Executive Action Impacts Undocumented Immigrants
Posted by on November 26, 2014 at 2:32 PM EDTLast week, the President took action to fix as much of our broken immigration system as possible within the scope of his existing legal authority. The President’s Immigration Accountability Executive Actions are an important step to fix our broken immigration system. Millions of undocumented immigrants who live in the shadows want to play by the rules, pay their fair share of taxes, and get right with the law. The President is taking action to fix as much of the problem as he can, while continuing to work with Congress to pass a comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform bill.
The President has been clear that he can’t fix the immigration system entirely on his own; whatever action he takes will not be a substitute for long-lasting solutions that only comprehensive immigration legislation can provide.
Here are the five things that you should know about the President’s initiatives impacting undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Learn more about , Immigration