Comments on: White House Passover

By: Sarah Lenton

Sarah Lenton — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 23:42:00 +0000

The cushions are nothing to do with the chairs, comfortable or uncomfortable, they are part of the Passover props. “We recline at table, leaning on cushions, to show we are free people”.

By: Nell

Nell — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:22:10 +0000

@Johanna:
Take a deep breath and read again, slowly. The WH seder is a recreation of a seder held by Obama campaign staff last Passover, to which they invited Obama. Emanuel was not part of the Obama campaign, or of that seder. This event is a friends-and-family occasion that originally was not supposed to be made public. It is not the Obama White House’s here-is-our-symbolic-national-seder; if it were, Washington-area Jewish leaders would have been invited and it would have been a completely different kind of event.
The Obamas have attended seders at the homes of Chicago friends in the years before the campaign; they attended the seder organized by campaign staff last year, and they are repaying the hospitality this year with personal and political Chicago friends, relationships that they treasure.
The picture clearly shows everyone reading or singing aloud. Obama is the host, and is sitting in the position of the host, but the host does not necessarily lead the ritual.
Those of you who read sinister and disrespectful elements into the picture are saying a lot more about yourselves than about the Obamas and their friends and colleagues.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:05:36 +0000

I doubt that a Jew led the white house seder. Would you have a different attitude if the president had, because this “Jew led it” seems to be your main point of defense. Obama could have asked the Axelrod and Emanuel not attend one of their own seders, because people usually have two. Didn’t you know? Play acting, as you said, is more suitable for the children, of whom there were only apparently two there.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:01:25 +0000

I can’t tell if you’re pulling a Colbert thing or are serious.
A Jew led the seder–just like at my house!
The ‘high level serious Jews’? Holy shit, I guess my seder wasn’t kosher. We’re all kinda shleppy middle-management Jews. I only wish that Obama had demanded that Axelrod or Emanuel not attend their family’s seder so they could perform in the WH.
And the ‘play acting’ quality of the seder? Are you familiar with the -concept-? At my seder, we actually friggin’ PLAY-ACTED! There are kids there. Our job is to involve them, and to use Pesach as education. And guess what? A seder at the White House, with press coverage and all that?
Is a very grave insult. If they don’t weep from the maror, they’re not frum enough for -me-.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:51:08 +0000

The woman with the pillow is too tall and slender to be Obama’s mother in law, who appears not to have been present at this seder. Also absent were the high level serious Jews, Axelrod and Emanuel. Why did they decline to break matzoh with the boss on either of the first two nights?? Perhaps they objected to the play acting quality of the white house seder.

By: Books Alive

Books Alive — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:31:43 +0000

These gold-painted chairs are used for group seating in many events that I've seen televised, like this Healthcare Forum pic that the BAG used in early March, 2009. It came up prominently in a Google image search.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:05:56 +0000

I never said Seders were restricted to Jews. That’s quite a dishonest distortion of what I said. I said Seders (why the hell are you capitalizing them) should be RUN by Jews. I also said the final prayer should not be twisted so that the leader uses it to ask for something personal (next year in my new Hummer). I guess that’s fine with you, too?

By: DennisQ

DennisQ — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:55:59 +0000

Who are the players in the scene? On one axis, the guy in the blue yarmulke (“Blue Hat”) is speaking to Marian Robinson. On the other axis, Obama appears to be speaking to Malia. The senior guy to Blue Hat’s right seems to be uncomfortable, as if recoiling from something inappropriate.
The reactions of the other people in the scene suggest what might have happened. Michelle’s face is partially obscured but it looks like she’s frowning. The lady with the necklace has an ambiguous expression. The man on her left (her husband?) is not entirely in the scene either, although he’s participating in Blue Hat’s attempt to make light of whatever it is that provoked the negative reaction from some of the others.
I was trying to bring together all the elements in the picture. It’s possible that Obama is not looking at Malia, and that Michelle is not frowning. Senior Guy does appear to be uncomfortable, and Necklace Lady is refusing to acknowledge what just happened. However, here’s this disclaimer: I wasn’t there, and I can only surmise what happened just before the picture was shot.

By: RP

RP — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:08:14 +0000

Johanna, I’m a Jew, and I don’t see anything wrong with this. Then again, maybe I’m not a real Jew because I’m an atheist and because I once organized a seder for some Catholic friends of mine (I believe we also used the Maxwell House haggadot because we were poor grad students). I never got the memo that seders were restricted to Jews only.

By: LCforevah

LCforevah — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:04:29 +0000

Wow, Dennis, want to tell us all about your supernatural powers of perception? Everything you wrote is purely your opinion
Something gauche Malia said?
My, you are self-important.