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Nov

29

For the record: no retreat on White House Hannukah card error

Filed Under George Bush, Holidays, Jewish, Judaism, leadership, Politics, Religion, Wide Open | 38 Comments

I disagree entirely with this “but look how much he’s done for us” excuse for the White House Hannukah invite snafu this year:

Now, some in the community and media are having fun, or even taking offense, with the fact that when the invitations arrived for this year’s White House Chanukah Party, they were illustrated with a scene of a horse-drawn cart delivering The White House Christmas tree.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/26/first-white-house-chrismukkah-cards-accidentally-sent/

To make this – or any President’s – gracious hospitality the subject of jest is chutzpah of the highest order.

Not only is George W. Bush the first to place a Chanukah Party on The White House calendar, but when the fact of this event is considered in the context of Jewish history – a history of centuries of persecution and exclusion – a sensible person’s only reaction can be one of gratitude for the freedom Jews enjoy in the United States of America and respect and appreciation for this nation’s president.

Ron Kampeas of the JTA agrees with the OU:

Maybe we learned too well. I’m with the Orthodox Union on the “Chrismukkah” card flap. It’s astonishingly bad manners, of a piece with an unfortunate “kick a man when he’s down” political tradition in this country (See, ironically enough, the post 2000 treatement of Al Gore.)

Whether you believe President Bush will be vindicated or that his policies were disastrous for Israel – and that’s above my pay grade – his embrace of Jewish Americans has been warm and unambiguous. (Yes, his White House, in its first term at least, snubbed those groups that were not 100 percent on board with its message – but that policy, however butt-headed, was ecumenical.)

I attended a few of the White House Hannukiyah lightings, and up close, one could appreciate how much of a kick Bush got out of the whole “house of the American people” ethos. One night, a Jewish kids’ choir could be singing the Maoz Tsur, another night Muslim Americans might be delivering Eid greetings – he genuinely seemed to enjoy the idea that the prayers could change from event to event, and still be essentially American.

Like someone might smile adoringly at something put on display for amusement?

Ugh.

This reminds me of a debate on Wide Open last year during which I too was told, in essence, “can’t you just be grateful for how much less you suffer now and leave it at that” as a way to tamp me down about current anti-Semitism and slights.

Not happening.  The gaffe was completely preventable and just because there are in fact some cultures within American society who prefer to stifle their observations of slights because they think that’s good manners, Jews have learned that to do so can lead to death.

So, I’ll take my Hannukah card with a side of speaking up if you don’t mind.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:35 am November 29th, 2008 in George Bush, Holidays, Jewish, Judaism, leadership, Politics, Religion, Wide Open | 38 Comments 

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