Rabbi Yoel Kahn toured the White House years ago, but never like this. For the 2010 White House Chanukah party, Kahn got to eat latkes with the president.
Held Dec. 2, the second night of Chanukah, the event was hosted by President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Also in attendance: three Jewish members of the United States Supreme Court (Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan), Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren and 500 Jewish community leaders.
Lucky locals included Kahn of Congregation Beth El in Berkeley, Moishe House Executive Director David Cygielman of Oakland, Rabbi Camille Angel of San Francisco’s Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, and jazz saxophonist Josh Redman, a Berkeley native who performed Chanukah music for the guests.
Kahn says the East Room of the White House was gorgeously decorated for the Festival of Lights. The all-kosher menu included pine nut and herb–crusted lamb chops, sushi rolls, roulade of chicken breast and homemade sufganiyot.
Noted Kahn, “the White House latkes were excellent. I confess I recycled through the [food] stations more than once.”
In his remarks Obama called the Chanukah story “as simple as it is timeless. It’s a story of ancient Israel, suffering under the yoke of empire, where Jews were forbidden to practice their religion openly.”
The candles were lit by Susan Retik, a 9/11 widow who started a nonprofit organization to help Afghani war widows. She used a menorah rescued from New Orleans’ Congregation Beth Israel, which was flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Kahn says, “I got a lovely invitation in the mail from the White House a few weeks before Thanksgiving. How can you not go when the president invites you?”
Accompanied by his 19-year-old son, Adam, Kahn took in the sights of the nation’s capital, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Senate, which was then in session debating the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” an issue of concern to Kahn, who is gay.
Once in the White House, Kahn was surprised by how easily he could wander about. “You can walk freely in the rooms and sit down on the furniture,” he said. “I sat on every chair.”
Cygielman had a similar experience. “All the doors were open,” he recalled of the East Wing. “I felt every room I went in someone would say, ‘Hey, you’re not allowed in here,’ but it really felt like someone was inviting you to their home for their Chanukah party.”
As for the party, Kahn shook hands with the vice president and later got to meet the president. He and his son were escorted to a diplomatic reception room where the president and first lady greeted visitors on a receiving line. “My son said to Michelle, ‘You are my hero,’ ” Kahn noted.
Cygielman, who took his fiancée as his date, called the receiving line “surreal, an out of body experience.” When the couple mentioned to the president and first lady they were engaged, Michelle Obama asked about the wedding and how many guests were coming.
As for his overall thoughts about the experience, Kahn says, “I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was a testament to our country and democracy. As a rabbi who is gay, to be included and welcomed to the White House was personally meaningful. It made me feel more patriotic and more proud to part of this country.”
Cygielman, whose father was born in a German displaced persons camp after the Holocaust, added, “It’s an important thing to do. Our country is made up of a lot of religions and cultures, and to celebrate them is crucial. It felt wonderful to take part in that celebration, and to see we really are part of the American experience.”