How is this White House Seder different than all others?

976 549 Jacob Kornbluh

The Biden administration is hosting a virtual Passover Seder open to the general public on Thursday in a move to expand its outreach to the broader American Jewish community, the White House told the Forward on Wednesday.

Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris and a Member of the Tribe, is expected to headline the event, which will include some elements of the traditional Seder. It will be facilitated by Rabbi Sharon Brous, senior rabbi of the IKAR congregation in Los Angeles.

A White House official said that the administration wanted to mark the second Passover in a row that people will be celebrating in a virtual setting without extended family with “at least one thing to bring people together.”

The event is part of a tradition set by former President Barack Obama, who became the first sitting president to host a Seder in the White House. President Trump opted not to carry on the practice, though the administration held a Seder for White House staff in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

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Jacob Kornbluh

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