Washington – Why was Monday night different from all the other nights in the White House?
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For the second year, the Obama family night hosted a seder in the White House, with gefilte fish, tzimmes, kugel, matzo ball soup and brisket, I’m told (entire menu at the end of the column). The seder — marking the first night of Passover — was in the Old Family Dining Room and, like last year, the group used the no-frills Maxwell House haggadah–the Seder guide– named after the coffee maker.
The seder started at about 6:30 and ran approximately two hours, and many of the participants remembered when a small group of Obama presidential campaign staffers threw together a seder in a hotel in Harrisburg, Pa., in 2008. Eric Lesser, then the campaign’s chief baggage wrangler (and now an assistant to White House senior adviser David Axelrod) organized the hotel seder because Passover that year came during the hotly contested Pennsylvania primary and staffers did not have time to go home for the holiday.
Lesser got hold of a seder “kit” from the Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania — complete with the haggadah — and as Jewish and non-Jewish staffers gathered, then Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama dropped in to join the group, as did Valerie Jarrett, now a White House senior adviser, and pal Eric Whitaker, a University of Chicago Medical Center executive.
The seder comes with a bonus: Because it is clearly a private, personal affair with longtime staffers and their families, the Obama White House avoids having leaders of different U.S. Jewish groups feel slighted that they were not invited.
In 2009, the White House seder was on the second night of Passover. Obama sat at the head of the long table in the Old Family Dining Room. Most of the Harrisburg group was there, as were other staffers. The Obama daughters, Malia and Sasha, found the afikomen — the hidden matzo.
This year, the seder was on the first night of Passover. Obama sat in the middle of the table, not at the head. Many of the same Harrisburg core group were there again — Lesser, with his mother, Joan (last year he brought his father, Martin); Arun Chaudhary, videographer for the campaign and now the White House; Samantha Tubman, a campaign press assistant and now a deputy in the White House social secretary’s office; and Jen Psaki, then traveling press secretary and now the White House deputy communications chief.
Folks passed along to the White House chefs their favorite recipes: Susan Sher, Mrs. Obama’s chief of staff and White House liaison to the Jewish community, sent along a recipe for a Passover noodle kugel that came from Jeanne Steiner, her sister. Mrs. Lesser shared her carrot soufflé recipe, and Herbie Ziskend, a campaign staffer now with Vice President Biden’s operation, offered his recipe for charoses.
I’m told by one of the participants that the seder was festive and had all the traditional elements: “It went the way most seders do. We read the Maxwell House haggadah and did four questions, sang Dayenu, made Hillel sandwiches and searched for afikomen. We concluded with the cup for Elijah and singing ‘Eliyahu Hanavi.’
“It was a meaningful way to mark the holiday with co-workers who have become close friends, and to reflect on all that has happened since the first seder in Harrisburg. And the matzo balls were pretty good, too!”
The menu of the Obama White House 2010 seder. Here it is:
Gefilte Fish
Charoses
Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls
Braised Beef Brisket
Chicken Roast
Sweet Potato-Carrot Tzimmes
Carrot Souffle
Kugel
Spring Asparagus
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Golden Apricot Cake
Brown Sugar Macaroons
And why isn’t he sitting next to his wife instead of two woman?
And where Is his yamulka if this would be a muslim thing he would put on a big kafia
sad sad sad……
No matza on the menu? L’shana Haba in East Jerusalem!
This is disgusting! Why do the Goyim so much want to steal the mitzvos of the Jews?
Could it be because we Jews don’t do this mitzvah properly that Hashem is telling us even the Goyim can do as good a job as far as goyim go. Very Esav like! copy cat!
someone forgot to tell Obama that b’heima meat is not allowed at the seder
well, he didn’t say NIRTZU, cause he surely didn’t say Leshana Habu Byerushlayim….. or less he thinks the arabs will have it next year, and he’ll visit them.
He skipped the mororr , he doesn’t feel our pain!
Come on! I think this is beautiful –
What a kiddush hashem to have the most important and powerful person on earth participate in a seder-type celebration and recognize the geulah and yitzias mitzraim. With all the negative comments we read here about Obama, this should put to rest once and for all the skepticism. And for those ameteur poskim out there who will criticize how the white house seder was conducted and whether or not he should have eaten gebrucktz on the first night, save your nareshkeit for your shvuger who may be impressed with you as a great talmid chacham.
he didn’t even have the courtesy to put on a yarmulkeh!!!! same old jew hater that he is
Our 11th makah is called Barak Obama.
Shfoch Chamuscho el hagoyim asher lo yoducha= Obama and his cronies
Did he spill an eleventh drop for healthcare? Mitzrayim was is a socialist regime, they spread the wealth too. Just they spread it from the slaves..not to them
We will have to make a new Holiday to mark the End of his term. If any Jews support him again then they are of the “mixed multitude”
when we say tzofon we are supposed to be reminded that in golus we are not supposed to stick ourselves out in the eyes of the umois ho’oilom, we are supposed to “go hidden” “Pnu Tzofonah” . When we see how the goyim feal that they need to chanfer us, it should make us worry. For all of us who yearn so much to stick our yiddishkeit into the eyes of the umois ho’oilom, dont worry, iy”h when moshiach comes bimheiro byomeinu we will rightly do so.
Hey, Y’obama, who do you think you’re kidding? Who cares about your fake seder? You want to show how much you care? Tell the Arabs to go to hell and that Israel is not budging until the Arabs renounce all terrorism, recognize Israel, and stop teaching hate to their children.
what kind of matza does he eat hand or machine? Does he brok, cos we are forced to b(a)rok. Roll on the republic victory in 2012.
Quite frankly, when he read B’Col Dor V’Dor – in each generation . . .
Did he say next year in Jerusalem ? How disgusting this poor excuse of a Pres., he is. Anything for show, and if you judge him by his associates, and more importantly his DEEDS, this messiah is a FAILURE.
Id rather he should not have the seder and be Pro Israel
G’Bruks or nisht g’bruks
May i suggest the following ; Anyone, with a little Jewish pride,should send a telegram or ,at the least post on the inetrnet , Lshana Haba’ah B’Yerushalaim.Send it to; President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Your (favorite) Lawmaker .
There was no seder. Candle-lighting was before 7:14 in D.C. This means they started the “seder” more than an hour before sunset! Given that the “seder” lasted “approximately two hours” and that Tzeis was at the earliest about 8:10pm, we can safely assume that they had finished the last kos before anyone else in America made kiddush!
is it very nice of our president to acknowledge our holiday and to actually try to be a part of it. Regardless if you agree with his policies or not we as a nation must show appreciation when anyone gos out of their way for us. I would love to meet him in person to thank him for all of us. We should all send a thank you email to the white house and show some appreciation!
Now this would make a real kiddush Hashem
Avodim Ha’yinu L’Obama B’America….
what about Afikomon prizes for Israel
The reason we aren’t going for this charade people, is based on Obama’s ACTUAL deeds towards the State of Israel.
He puts more pressure on Israel for building in our capital city of Jerusalem, than he puts pressure on Iran who wants to build nuclear weapons.
He treats Netanyahu worse than chavez BUT you like him cause he ACTS out a seder. You stupid liberals. You’ll buy anything. When will you wake up!
I hope they told him of the custom for the non jewish guest to drink from the wine after pouring the for 10 makos. I really hope he tasted some of it.
It’s ironic how he’s having a seder. At seders people say “next year in Jerusalem”, but he is trying to prevent Jews from living in Jerusalem.
This token act of trying to pander to Jewish voters wont work.
Seudas achashveirosh
I’d like to bring one very important point across!
“dirshu es shloim ha’ear” this is a quote from yermyia on our way to exile.
You keep on criticizing Obama for not following exactly the rules, by the way he’s not jewish, but you jews, don’t even know the meaning of this posik but keep on posting zionistic comments- PLEASE EDUCATE YOURSELF!
I DIDN’T SEE THE CHOCOLATE LADY FINGERS
As we all know the lesson of Pesach is : D’zabin Abba bisrai zuzay…Chad Gadyah. That is what is going on. We are close to shecting the melech hamaves, BED.
did he mention the line about HaShem giving US (the Yidden) Eretz Yisroel??? that certainly would be sufficient if he and his cronies finally recognized that fact…
RE; to # 47 . Read his lips .
Fake phony fraud!!! But it’s a game and he plays it quite well. The republicans have their work cut out for them.
seudas achashverosh
next year in jerusalem did he say it
the whole seder was gornisht vert it started way before shkiah. a bandeh am haaratzim
How are they all up to the same place at the same time?