Washington – Obama Honors Jewish Americans at White House Reception

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    Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax is greeted by President Barack Obama at an event honoring Jewish American Heritage Month in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)Washington – Did you hear the one about the African-American president and Jewish-American baseball legend who were in the East Room of the White House for a reception?

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    The president tells the audience that he and Sandy Koufax have something in common.

    “We are both lefties. He can’t pitch on Yom Kippur. I can’t pitch.”

    It was a bit of Jewish humor from President Barack Obama in welcoming remarks at what he said was the first-ever White House reception observing Jewish American Heritage Month.

    “This is a pretty fancy … pretty distinguished group,” he said of the invited guests, which included members of the House and Senate, two justices of the Supreme Court, Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs, Rabbinical scholars, “and Sandy Koufax.” The mention of his name brought the biggest cheer at the event.
    Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, center, sits with Vice President Joe Biden, right, and Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hold an event honoring Jewish American Heritage Month in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
    The president spoke of “the diversity of talents and accomplishments” that reflect the Jewish-American heritage dating back to pre-Revolutionary times.

    “Even before we were a nation, we were a sanctuary for Jews seeking to live without the specter of violence or exile,” said Mr. Obama citing “a band of 23 Jewish refugees to a place called New Amsterdam more than 350 years ago.”

    And in the 21st century, the president hailed the U.S. relationship with the Jewish State.

    “Our bond with Israel is unbreakable,” he told the reception, five days before he is to have a fence-mending round of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.

    Mr. Obama likened the U.S. pursuit of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians to the Hebrew principle of Tikkun Olam, the obligation to repair the world.

    The president said that the Jewish people’s belief that a better future is always possible should be a lesson for all Americans.

    Obama honored the contributions American Jews have made in the arts, music, sports and other fields.

    There were no other stabs at or tributes to Jewish humor by Mr. Obama. Although his Congressional guest list at the event did include former Saturday Night Live comic – and now Senator, Al Franken.


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    31 Comments
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    true
    true
    13 years ago

    I was told by an old timer from my block that this Sandy Koufax guy used to live in Boro park at 54St and 14th ave,and attended the public school that was on that corner that is now the satmar beth ruchel school. so much for intresting important celebrities who we do or dont know that they grew up in our streets 🙂

    Los Angelino
    Los Angelino
    13 years ago

    He came to my shul on that “famous” Yom Kippur that he did not play ball. You should have seen the oilam. Some goy looking guy walks into the shul (after parking his car right outside the door) looks around and takes a seat right in the middle of the shul just behind the bima. In those days it was a chasidishe shtibel but with a mixture of shtramlech, black hats, 1 spudik, and a lot of Polish some Hungarian and the Ruv was Romanian. Since I was the gabe then I walked up to him asked him if he needed a siddur, a machzor, a talis, whatever. In those days there was no artscrol and we didn’t have any English sedurim or machzors. He pulled out some kind of English “Prayer Book” and davened from that. He stayed until Yom Tov was over had some lekach and orange juice to break the fast and left.

    No one in the shul knew who he was until we saw his picture in the newspaper the next day with the headline “Koufax takes off for Jewish High Holiday”.

    authenticSatmar
    authenticSatmar
    13 years ago

    Tikkun Oilam is a manufactured item, as is not mentioned in jewish literature (and yes I know the gomoro says it but thats a different context). It is from R’ Soloveichik the father of Modern Orthodoxy.

    reply to # 1
    reply to # 1
    13 years ago

    “this sandy koufax guy”

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Obama is a pr wizard. He realizes he messed up with the Jews and he realizes he can’t afford to estrange us so he is running circles trying to fix the mess he made. I do believe he is going to ingratiate himself with the Moslems by doing so, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. 

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    He’s preparing to do something stupid

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    This event had been scheduled long-before the current tensions on policies governing the settlements and is a continuation of similiar events held by prior presidents. I doubt it changed any minds on policy issues but was a nice gesture and will hopefully defuse some of the current distrust. At least we don’t have any modern day n’aviim running around claiming that the Gulf Oil Leak was the result of hashem’s anger with Obama’s mid=eastern policy.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Most of the readers here probably don’t understand the tremendous impact Sandy Koufax made on the assimilated American Jewish community when he refused to pitch in the World Series in 1965. It was very, very inspiring to unobservant Jews that a successful Yid would show the Gentiles that he is a Yid and would observe our Torah with utter disregard for money, success, etc.

    Ask any secular American Jew aged 50 or older what Koufax’s act meant to him.

    Dov
    Dov
    13 years ago

    “this Sandy Koufax guy” ? The pride of Brooklyn

    Babishka
    Member
    Babishka
    13 years ago

    This article does not mention that the White House kitchen was koshered especially for this event by the Chabad shluchim who were invited to attend.

    true
    true
    13 years ago

    I only said this “guy cause I didnt know he was a such a famous guy” I am a lady yenta that didnt grow up here in america a that time,but,, it sure was very intresting to come a cross a eldery couple who were just looking around my house and the next and i had to go ask them what was so intresting , they said they came to vist boro park and see how it changed they live now in a diffent satate and had come to new york to vist so they came to vist they street on 54 where they lived some 50 years ago, ,, they then told me about this Sandy Koufax and many others . just had to say that , the min i saw the name i figured let me tell everyone he used to be here and lived here, a git shabbos to all,

    Meir
    Meir
    13 years ago

    Koufax – the original Chabad – he made Jews proud

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Koufax made a true kiddush hashem then and every year again.

    wiliamsberg
    wiliamsberg
    13 years ago

    raboisay he vos jest a basbal player. you maked him sond like von fin the lamid voov pitchers.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    The White House kitchen was kashered by mashgichim under the supervision of the Vaad of Washington, with Rabbi Shemtov of Chabad participating as well…

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    The look on Justice ginsburg’s face tells it all : Joe Biden you are nuts .

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Hayim Salomon financed the Revolutionary War. Without him George Washington would not have had sufficient provisions to win. It is disgraceful that it is ignored steadily by all Presidents. To commerorate the highest jewish contribution to America as a Baseball player indicates that all other denominations overshadowed us. Hardly. If Einstein hadn’t revealed to the President the potential of the atom bomb, we may have lost WWII.But the study of Torah is what’s keeping America on top right now.