According to Nathan Guttman, over at The Forward, Bush had a "day full of Jews yesterday."
Bush’s Hanukkah tradition exceeds any other Jewish celebration offered by his predecessors. While former presidents held one “holiday celebration” for all religions, it was Bush who started the tradition of having a Hanukkah event for the Jewish community, as well as an Iftar dinner for Muslims during the month of Ramadan.
We don't often have reason to say this, but good for him.
The bigger event was the evening Hanukkah celebration. For the past three years, the party has offered a chance for the White House to make its entire kitchen kosher for a day. The operation was overseen by Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Chabad’s Washington representative. Shemtov said it was first lady Laura Bush who insisted the whole kitchen be koshered instead of bringing in only a limited amount of kosher food.
Well, my goodness, at least something is kosher in the White House. It's a shame that it lasted for only a day . . .
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There's a lot more to Judaism than keeping Kosher and the Bush Chanukah event captured a lot of it, as can be seen on the White House website movie of the event. There was a creditable account of the holiday given by the President along with a moving tribute to Daniel Pearl and a lighting of his grandfathers Chanukiah carried out by his parents. Finally, a beautiful rendition of Jewish choral music presented buy a select choir from Zamir Choral and Cantor Alberto Mizrahi.
And these events are always great to see Presidents awkwardly don a kippah, the one that makes them look like they have coneheads.
Wow...the hazzan from my shul was performing there.
Well Jesus was a Jew....
Ben Stein is too....
And Woody Allen of course......
Is Alan Alda? He was in one of Woody's movies......
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