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Biden to host first ever White House Rosh Hashanah party

Obama's former VP was the first to host High Holiday events at his official residence

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WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 16: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks before signing The Inflation Reduction Act in the State Dining Room of the White House August 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. The $737 billion bill focuses on climate change, lower health care costs and creating clean energy jobs by enacting a 15% corporate minimum tax, a 1-percent fee on stock buybacks and enhancing IRS enforcement. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Joe Biden will become the first US president to host a Rosh Hashanah reception at the White House.

The US magazine Jewish Insider reported on Monday that the gathering will take place on 30 September, three days after the conclusion of Rosh Hashanah.

Rosh Hashanah 2022 will take place from the evening of Sunday 25 September and end on Tuesday 27 September.

During his vice-presidency under President Obama, Biden became the first US VP to host Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot events at his official residence, the Naval Observatory.

In 1993, Bill Clinton became the first US president to host a Hanukkah party for White House staff. The event proved memorable for 6-year-old Ilana Kattan, who told Slate that her hair caught on fire during the proceedings after her ponytail dipped into a Menorah flame. The president then put out the blaze with his bare hands.

President George W. Bush scaled up the annual party to a public event for American-Jewish community leaders, a tradition which President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump continued.

Last year, Biden hosted an in-person menorah lighting for Chanukah, while other recent Jewish events held by the White House have been virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In another first, Kamala Harris’ husband Douglas Emhoff became the first to affix a mezuzah on the entry to the official Vice-Presidential residence when they moved in last November. 

Emhoff, who married fellow lawyer Harris in 2014, is the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president.

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