Washington – Parkland Shooting Victim’s Dad Joins Trump For Hanukkah

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    Senior advisor to the President, Jared Kushner looks on as US President Donald J. Trump speaks during a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 December 2018.  EPA-EFE/Oliver Contreras / POOLWashington – The father of a Florida school shooting victim helped the White House celebrate Hanukkah on Thursday and lauded President Donald Trump as a “fighter” who has “retaken Washington for the American people.”

    Trump said the menorah was being lit in the East Room in memory of 18-year-old Meadow Pollack “and all of the precious lives stolen from us this year, and we will pledge our resolve to confront hatred and violence in all of its evil forms.”

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    Meadow was among 17 people killed in a February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. A 17-year-old student has been charged in the Valentine’s Day massacre.

    Meadow’s father, Andrew Pollack, said he has been fighting for his daughter and other students since the shooting. He was among a group of teen survivors and parents of murdered children who attended a White House discussion shortly after the shooting.
    Rabbi Avraham Friedman (2-L) speaks during a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 December 2018. Pollack's 18-year-old daughter Meadow Pollack was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on 14 February 2018.  EPA-EFE/OLIVER CONTRERAS / POOL
    “Mr. President, despite the pundits and so-called experts who said you couldn’t, you have retaken Washington for the American people,” Pollack said. “You are the greatest friend that the Jewish people have ever had in the White House, not only because you recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and followed through on your promise to move the embassy to Jerusalem, but because you understand the spirit of Hanukkah, within your heart.”

    Pollack added: “We have to keep fighting because the safety of our children and the future of our country depend on whether we honor the true spirit of Hanukkah, by staying true to our traditions and to keep on winning.”

    Trump described Pollack’s sorrow and pain as unimaginable and thanked him and his family for attending.

    “We promise to hold the memory of beautiful Meadow and every Parkland victim in our hearts forever,” Trump said.
     An attendee wears a yarmulke with an image of US President Donald J. Trump as Trump hosts a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 December 2018.  EPA-EFE/OLIVER CONTRERAS / POOL
    At an earlier Hanukkah reception Thursday, Trump recognized eight Holocaust survivors, saying they had endured “evil beyond description.”

    The president also mentioned the fatal October shooting of 11 Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue. He said that after that “sinister” killing, “we reaffirmed our solemn duty to confront anti-Semitism everywhere. Trump added that we “must stamp out this vile hatred from the world.”

    Trump’s daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism to marry Jared Kushner. Through the couple, Trump has three Jewish grandchildren.

    The audience erupted into cheers when Trump mentioned his decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and, earlier this year, to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.


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    18 Comments
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    5 years ago

    Jerusalem will never be the capital of Israel as Jews are not defined by land or culture but only by religion. Its all a beautiful gesture of a President that wants to show the uneducated world that he loves Jews. Judaism and Zionism are the diametrically opposed. Nothing Trump or any person can do to give us back our holy land of Eretz Yisroel. EY and Jerusalem will be ours with the coming of Mashiach. Until then its as distant to a Galus Yid as China is.

    5 years ago

    Trump has been the best president ever for torah jews. Wow BH a huge kiddush hashem. And he is proud of his frum daughter. Lets daven that he continue to be successful so we have such a strong advocate in DC.

    PS whether Obama was also good to jews is irrelevant to the discussion.

    qazxc
    qazxc
    5 years ago

    Just following an Obama tradition. The Jew hating Kenyan Muslim had more Chanukah parties and more shomrei shabbos in top positions than any president before him.

    BeisShammai
    BeisShammai
    5 years ago

    Does anybody know where I can get this yamulka? I want to wear it just to annoy liberals.

    5 years ago

    Gd bless Trump. A fighter of justice, an efficient leader and a friend of Israel like no other leader of any country in the entire world.

    He needs hakaras hatov, not bashing from our bleeding hearted liberal Jews, frum or not, who care more for the rights of others, than their own.

    5 years ago

    Obama, on more than one occasion had Glatt Kosher Chanukah dinner receptions at the White House for nearly 200 guests. I remember when the Jewish members of the U.S. Supreme Court, were proudly singing Maos Tsur.

    Incidentally, the brother (Pollak family) was proudly wearing a kippah; however, his Father was not, during the Chanukah candle lighting; why?

    5 years ago

    Mr. Pollack should have worn a kippah during the lighting of the menorah, as his son did; also, why wasn’t Mrs. Pollack given the opportunity to also have lit a Chanukah candle?