This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Some asked whether anyone would be reckless enough to attend, observing that an in-person party, amid the COVID-19 surge, could turn out to be another superspreader event. Others wondered who would be invited, recalling that President Trump, in the past, limited his invitation list to supporters, and why the event was being held on that date. The eight-day festival of Hanukkah, regulated by the Jewish lunar calendar, begins this year on the night of Dec. 10.
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Overlooked amid these questions is one that to me, as a historian of American Jewish life and a scholar of American religion, seems far more fascinating and important. How did the office of the president of the United States come to hold an official White House Hanukkah party in the first place?
Dec 11, 2020
“Ironically, the president who first paid attention to Chanukah was Jimmy Carter, although he wasn’t the Jewish community’s favorite Democratic candidate,” notes American Jewish History Professor Jonathan D. Sarna.
By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
President Donald Trump hosted two Chanukah receptions at the White House on Wednesday, telling his guests, “I just want to wish everybody a very happy Chanukah.”
The two receptions for about 150 people were held indoors, but one attendee told the
New York Post: “The Secret Service made sure everyone wore their masks unless eating or drinking … they were very concerned about COVID, and the guest list was cut way back from the usual 400-plus.”