BY MADDIE GANNON AND MAUREEN MCMANUS WASHINGTON, D.C.
UPDATED 10:09 PM ET SEP. 15, 2023 PUBLISHED 9:40 PM ET SEP. 15, 2023
With Friday at sundown marking the start of Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish High Holidays, Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, said his inbox is full of a GIF he forgot existed.
“I've already gotten a lot of Shana Tovah ["happy new year" in Hebrew] via text messages today. And I forgot I have a GIF of me saying 'Shana Tovah.' I've gotten that back from many of my friends and family members,” Emhoff told Spectrum News in an interview on Friday.
The second gentleman and his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, represent many firsts for the nation. But Emhoff said it is his faith that has played an unexpectedly significant role during his time as second gentleman.
“Coming in, I thought that was going to be the big headline: there's finally a man in this role. And I'd say I'll go first, I better not be the last. But I’m also the first Jewish person ever to be married to a president or vice president and that has become a big deal and I decided to just lean into it,” he said, calling it “a pretty awesome responsibility.”
With that goal in mind the second gentleman has had the opportunity to lead several traditions in the position, hosting a Passover seder at the vice president’s official residence, attending the National Menorah lighting ceremony at the White House for Hanukkah and affixing a mezuzah – a symbol of Jewish faith – on an executive residence for the first time.
“I love being Jewish. I'm proud of being Jewish,” Emhoff said. “For me, I love the justice part.”
“As a little kid, I wanted to be a lawyer, I hated bullies. I always stood up for everyone else and I think that was what always reached out to me. It was that fight for justice, that fight for equality, that standing up for others.”
Now, Emhoff is marking his third Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year and the start of a period of reflection that culminates in Yom Kippur — in Washington since Harris became vice president. The pair hosted an event at their residence earlier this week to mark the occasion and on Saturday Emhoff said he plans to go to temple at Adas Israel, calling it a tradition since he has been in Washington.
“To do all the things that we do: the Mezuzah, the menorah, the seder, and just live openly and proudly, but doing it in a way, in this time of, unfortunately, increased antisemitism where so many of us are feeling beat up and beat down and thinking the reaction is just to hide,” Emhoff said, “but I think no, the reaction is to just live openly, proudly, and most importantly, without fear.”
“So, along with the vice president, who is so supportive of me doing this, that's why we're doing it, and we're gonna continue to do it.”
During his time at the White House, the second gentleman has been outspoken about countering a rise in antisemitism. He played a large role in President Joe Biden’s U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, the first of its kind, announced in May.
Recently, the Anti-Defamation League has expressed concerns about Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, amplifying antisemitic messages on the platform. Musk is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week, according to the prime minister's office.
Asked if he shares the ADL’s same concerns, Emhoff said “Yes, I do.”
“There's been an uptick in antisemitism online, at schools, at temples,” he said. “That is a huge part of the national strategy to combat antisemitism, which I'm so proud to have worked on.”
Last year, Emhoff penned an op-ed in which he argued Rosh Hashanah is about asking a simple question: “What kind of world do we want to live in?”
This year, Spectrum News posed the same question to him.
“I want to live in a world that's safe. I want to live in a world that's free, that's equitable, that's fair, where we have a rule of law, where people believe in that,” he said. “I wrote that a year ago and one of the things I also committed to do, was do everything I can in my power to help and to fight hate, but also to fight for other people. And I think I've really done that and this year, I'm recommitting myself to do even more.”
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