CARLSBAD, California — I was given the high honor of being invited to this year’s Chanukah party at the White House. When a dear friend asked if I wanted to go I jumped at the chance. Why? It was not to see the holiday decorations (which made me feel as though I was in a winter wonderland), sample the lavish strictly kosher buffet (all I had was a couple of glasses of water), hear the Marine Corps band play Klezmer music (now THAT was otherworldly), see the historic displays of chinaware, meet the members of various branches of the armed services in their full dress regalia, or even to get the chance to meet the President, First Lady, Vice President, or other elected officials or dignitaries.
I jumped at the chance to go to the White House to honor our blessed and beautiful American Republic, built on the foundations of the rule of law and the equal rights of her citizens. I went to demonstrate my devotion to a country that my Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of righteous memory, called the nation of kindness. A nation where (finally) the Jewish people were given the same rights and opportunities as all other citizens. A chance to experience the very center of the ‘free universe’; the place that has served as the prime defender of human rights, dignity, and freedom for all humankind.
If I sound a bit like a sappy patriot that is only because I am one. I am sorry if that offends anyone – actually, I am not sorry at all, and I feel badly for anyone who is offended by such sentiments. While I am on my soapbox I would like to say that I urge my fellow Americans, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, to count our blessings as Americans. Please note that nowhere have I stated that America is perfect. It’s not. But it has been designed with a political system that allows its citizens to fix that which is imperfect. That is the power of the Constitution and why, we Jews perhaps more than anyone else, must always stand and defend the Constitution of this great land, for it is precisely in the Constitution that our rights and liberties are guarded.
Back to the narrative of my trip.
When I left on the trip I was excited to be going to the White House for the reasons detailed above. But then I learned that something historic would be taking place while I was there. President Trump would be signing an Executive Order that will help prevent the government-funded dissemination of anti-Semitism, which has infiltrated our American Universities. It is beyond the scope of this article to explain how and why this action combats anti-Semitism. I will leave it to the reader to do some research, or contact me privately to discuss, so to understand why this is so important. I will also note that this move by the President enjoyed broad bipartisan support and that major Jewish organizations applauded this move and its timing.
I feel tremendously blessed to have been present, at what Alan Dershowitz described as, a truly historic moment.
It is true that the White House Chanukah party was not on Chanukah. As an aside, they explained that many people would be out of town due to Chanukah’s timing and they wanted the party to have the nation’s full attention. The timing issue not withstanding please understand that the President has given the Jewish people a profound Chanukah gift, which will help protect us, and more importantly our children, for many, many years to come. I was always taught that one gives you a gift you should be grateful. Baruch Hashem, thank G-d, today I extremely grateful!
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Rabbi Eilfort is Director of Chabad at La Costa and welcomes readers’ questions and comments via email at RabbiE@ChabadatLaCosta.com.
It’s moral licensing.
Trump holds a Hanukkah party for virulent anti-Semites.
As “Bend the Arc” pointed out:
Robert Jeffress openly espouses a belief that Jewish people are damned to hell. (He also describes Islam and Mormonism as “heresy from the pits of hell.”)
“This is who Trump invited to speak at his Hanukkah party — joined by bigots like Pastor John Hagee, the head of CUFI who has blamed Jews for the Holocaust and said Hitler was a ‘hunter’ fulfilling God’s will.”
“Trump doesn’t care about antisemitism. He doesn’t care about Jews.
He cares about appealing to his white, evangelical base. He cares about power.”
Halie Soifer, the Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, added that Trump’s executive order represented “the height of hypocrisy.”
“If President Trump truly wanted to address the scourge of anti-Semitism he helped to create, he would accept responsibility for his role emboldening white nationalism, perpetuating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and repeating stereotypes that have led to violence targeting Jews,” she said in a statement. “Instead, President Trump continues to view Israel and anti-Semitism solely through a political lens, which he attempts to use to his political advantage.”
“President Trump is more interested in symbolic gestures that politicize Israel and use Jews as political pawns than actually doing something meaningful to ensure our security and that of Israel. The timing of this signing reveals this is a PR stunt, plain and simple.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/robert-jeffress-white-house-hanukkah_n_5df1b1a1e4b01e0f2959c43d?fbclid=IwAR2Oxfosm1jSVxAyFhXHjX-ZD47K7zMgWmlPEMZq-6I_HbzSm-KbOs6Xlu8
Brooke Goldstein, executive director of the Lawfare Project, also attended the party. Her report follows:
This past Wednesday, I had the honor of attending the annual White House Hanukkah Party hosted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. At this year’s historic event, the President signed an Executive Order (EO) that grants Jewish people the same protections as other ethnic minorities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Anti-Semitism has become increasingly common on college campuses in America, and Jewish students are too often the target of bigotry and discrimination with politics used as an excuse. The new EO reinforces the distinction between what is political speech and what is anti-Semitism disguised as political activism.
As you know, The Lawfare Project is dedicated to defending the rights of Jewish students at colleges and universities nationwide. The President’s decision to move forward with the order is truly a monumental moment for the Jewish community, and we are extremely grateful to have witnessed the signing.
At the event, President Trump said that one of his motivating factors for signing the order was to target unlawful boycotts against Jewish and Israeli people and companies. He also directed a powerful message to American universities: “If you want to accept the tremendous amount of federal dollars that you get every year, you must reject anti-Semitism. It’s very simple.”
The President also lamented the devastating targeted anti-Semitic attack on a kosher deli in Jersey City earlier this week. During his speech, he vowed to “crush the monstrous evil of anti-Semitism whenever and wherever it appears.”
It was an honor to attend the White House Hanukkah Party alongside Jewish American politicians and other prominent leaders in the Jewish community. The Lawfare Project is especially thankful for the President’s dedication to defending the rights of Jewish people.