White House Hanukkah: Instead of a menorah, a dreidel should appear as a symbol of the holiday on state property. Image by Kurt Hoffman

By Nathan Guttman December 6, 2017

President Trump is hosting his first White House Hanukkah reception on Thursday, keeping up with a tradition dating back to the George W. Bush presidency and kept by Barack Obama.

There will be some major differences, however.

First, the party, which ballooned in recent years into a massive event requiring two separate rounds of menorah lighting to accommodate all the invitees, will shrink back to its original size, with only one reception.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Another difference – the Democrats aren’t invited.

According to congressional sources who surveyed Jewish politicians, it appears that no Democratic Jewish lawmakers were invited to Trump’s Hanukkah party. Neither were liberal Jewish leaders such as Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. Instead, there will be more invitees from Jewish circles supportive of Trump.

While Jewish Democratic politicians, friends and donors packed Obama’s Hanukkah parties, the former president did make a point of inviting Republican and conservative Jewish leaders.

There are currently 30 Jewish members of Congress — 28 of them Democrats, including some of Trump’s harshest critics, like Sens. Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Adam Schiff.

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount