Posted to Jewish News on

WASHINGTON [AP] — President Barack Obama hosted close friends and staff at a private White House meal Thursday evening to mark Passover. It's part of the new president's effort to reach out to Jewish voters.

The White House said the Seder meal was traditional, including matzo, bitter herbs, a roasted egg and greens in the family dining room in the executive mansion. The evening also featured the reading of the Haggadah, the religious text of the holiday.

Obama Makes History with First Seder at White House

WASHINGTON [AP] — President Barack Obama hosted close friends and staff at a private White House meal Thursday evening to mark Passover. It’s part of the new president’s effort to reach out to Jewish voters.

The White House said the Seder meal was traditional, including matzo, bitter herbs, a roasted egg and greens in the family dining room in the executive mansion. The evening also featured the reading of the Haggadah, the religious text of the holiday.

Passover began at sundown Wednesday. It celebrates the Jewish exodus from Egypt after 400 years of slavery.

Among those invited was Valerie Jarrett, one of Obama’s closest advisers, and family friend Eric Whitaker, who was visiting from Chicago and attended a Seder last year with the campaign. First lady Michelle Obama and the family’s two daughters also attended.

The staff guest list included aides from the campaign trail who marked last year’s Passover at the Sheraton hotel in Harrisburg, Pa. Obama’s personal aide, Reggie Love; Michelle Obama’s deputy chief of staff, Melissa Winter; personal aide Dana Lewis and associate social secretary Samantha Tubman all received invitations.

Also on the guest list were Eric Lesser, a personal aide to senior adviser David Axelrod, and his family. Lesser worked during the New Hampshire primary and later handled baggage for traveling reporters. White House videographer Arun Chaudhary _ a constant presence on the trail _ landed invitations for his family.

Others in the exclusive group included Michelle Obama’s counsel and friend Susan Sher; Herbie Ziskend, a staff assistant to Vice President Joe Biden’s policy and economic advisers; and White House deputy director of advance and special events Lisa Kohnke.

White House aides said they believe it was the first president-hosted Seder at the White House.

Related Articles

29 Comments

  • pnina

    Chutzpa, if he was jewish it would be one thing but to do it just to pander to Jewish voters CHUTZPA makes me mad!

  • OBAMA PHARAOH!!!

    HA HA. PHARAOH LEADING the Jewish Festival of LIBERATION!!!!! MOSHIACH MUST BE TRULY COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

    MOSHIACH NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE HE HE!!!!!!!!!!

  • Yossi

    Michelle has a pillow to lean with! Nu she’s a liberal and holds that women lean :-)

  • Moshiach Now!

    stay focused on Moshiach’s coming
    Obama’s seder was at the time of:
    (Birchas Hachama)…

  • yossi

    Perahpas Obama thinks that his his ancestors were slaves in Egypt.Or mabe he likes to eat Matzo, who knows.

  • Levi

    To Yossi;

    Aam Haeretz! The law clearly states that if the women is an “isha chashuvah” then she would be required to do hesaiba.

  • don-t give me a hard time, dude

    come on. give the guy a break! i think it’s refreshing to see such openness – can you imagine the oppressive governments of Eastern Europe hosting something similar? of course not! instead of being critical, think about the positivity of such a landmark occasion

  • Speechless

    Actually i must say this is incredulous and a first, in history whoever heard or pictured such a thing. Moshiach is definatley coming!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Mendy

    I wonder why Chanina Sperln and L. Shemtov, the leaders of Chabad, were not there. They are always at every other Jewish event over there.

  • Obamulka

    Obama’s not wearing a yarmulka, tho i see some of the other men are! and how come michelle is the only one with a pillow?

  • Never Good Enough

    Wow Just can’t win with you people
    What would be better, if Rush Limbaugh had a seder?

  • Minhag acher

    In non Chabad circles the egg is also roasted. I would say this definitely qualifies as a non Chabad circle.

  • Olga

    celebrating all sorts of religious rituals eh? good excuse to celebrate his muslim holidays as well. Ramadan etc etc…

  • sue

    I wonder at the involuted sense of humanity that has provoked “yossi” to call your President a “Pharoah”?
    Democracy developed because of the wisdom preserved and adhered to by Jews and Christians. it is a long term tradition to honour the spiritual sentiments and philosophical developments of both!
    I also think he is probably way more a relative of an ancestral family of Moses than you, and more faithful, too!
    As we pompous British are wont to say: Balls to you.

  • sue

    For Obama Pharoah:

    First of all, sorry my comment about Obama versus Pharoah was directed to you and not to Yossi.

    2. For you…lighten up?

    Moses was sitting in the Egyptian ghetto. Things were terrible. Pharaoh wouldn’t even speak to him. The rest of the Israelites were mad at him and making the overseers even more irritable than usual, etc. He was about ready to give up.

    Suddenly a booming, sonorous voice spoke from above:

    “You, Moses, heed me ! I have good news, and bad news.”

    Moses was staggered. The voice continued:

    “You, Moses, will lead the People of Israel from bondage. If Pharaoh refuses to release your bonds, I will smite Egypt with a rain of frogs”

    “You, Moses, will lead the People of Israel to the Promised Land. If Pharaoh blocks your way, I will smite Egypt with a plague of Locust.”

    “You, Moses, will lead the People of Israel to freedom and safety. If Pharaoh’s army pursues you, I will part the waters of the Red Sea to open your path to the Promised Land.”

    Moses was stunned. He stammered, “That’s…. that’s fantastic. I can’t believe it! — But what’s the bad news?”

    “You, Moses, must write the Environmental Impact Statement.”

    —————-

    Passover is approaching. At the sedar table, every Jewish child will be retold the story of Moses and the Pharoah, and how G-d brought boils, locusts, hail and the other plagues onto the Egyptians. Yet in spite of this overwealming evidence of G-d’s intensions, Pharoah refused to let the Jews go, until a tenth plague, the death of the first-born children was inflicted on every Egyptian home, passing over the Jewish homes. Only after this tragedy did the Pharoah relent and let the Jews leave slavery and Egypt to begin their journey to the promised land.

    This has been known for generations. What has not been known is why the Pharoah, in the face of such
    overwhelming evidence would refuse to release the Jews ater the first nine plagues. It took eight years of research by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, the reknowned psychologist and nurse, to find the definitive answer. Dr. Kubler-Ross spent those years studying the Dead Sea Scrolls before discovering the answer. And once found, it was obvious…..The Pharoah was still in de Nile.

    http://kosher4passover.com/…

  • assasination attempt?

    i wonder if they made Old-Bama drink the dom-tzefardeya wine?

  • ???

    The whole thing is a show anyway so whats it matter what they do there. as long as they ‘hold a passover seder” they are yotzie,
    i wonder if they read the whole haggada in Engligh, what were they thinking??? interesting Jewish history eh?

  • ALOHA, SHAMIR

    i HAVE NOTHING JEWISHIE TO SAY ABOUT A SEDAR IN THE WHITE HOUSE OR ANYTHING FUNNY. I LIKE THE INCLUSIVENESS AND THE MESSAGE IT GIVES THE WORLD–RESPECT ALL RELIGIONS AND HUMBLE ONESELF TO LEARN ABOUT ANOTHERS’ TRADTIONS–WE ARE ALL HU
    MANS
    FROM SAME SOURCE OF ORIGIN.

  • Diana LaBedz

    Aloha, This dinner was a symbol of the coming together that is needed world wide. The true challenge in life involves your willingness to confront your own inner demons and to allow your deeply felt dreams and aspirations from your spirit to surface into your life, and share it with others. Diana