‘First Mensch’ Doug Emhoff thrills Jews at DNC
Jewish delegates waved ‘First Mensch’ signs amid a sea of red “Doug” placards as Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, took the stage at the United Center Tuesday.
By Jacob Kornbluh August 20, 2024
CHICAGO – Among the thousands of Democrats gathered here for their national convention this week, there are a smattering wearing yarmulkes or sporting buttons that spell out the names of their party’s nominees in Hebrew letters. When Doug Emhoff took the stage at the United Center on Tuesday night, those Jewish delegates and activists waved blue-and-white “First Mensch” signs amid a sea of red placards with his name, and their faces lit up with excitement.
“We all know that Doug Emhoff is a mensch, but for him to be the First Mensch, that is going to be a tremendous honor for the Jewish community,” gushed Charles Horowitz, a 21-year-old delegate from Florida attending his first convention. “It’s been far too long, and to just have that visibility, to have that representation, is going to be fantastic.”
Emhoff’s moment in the spotlight was more than just a historic milestone — the first-ever second gentleman vying to become the first-ever first gentleman, should his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, beat former President Donald Trump in November. It was an emotional release for Jewish delegates and activists who had arrived with a mix of pride and anxiety about their party and how Israel’s war in Gaza has threatened to divide it. The prospects of a ‘First Mensch’ — of a Jew living in the White House and even putting mezuzahs up there — was a powerful antidote to the stresses of 10 intense months of emotional and political turmoil related to Oct. 7 and its aftermath.
“I can’t wait to see him help her light the Shabbat candles,” said Veronica Lurvey, a delegate from the heavily Jewish town of Great Neck, on Long Island. A former council member in North Hempstead and a board member of the American Jewish Committee, Lurvey rated her excitement as Emhoff prepared to take the stage as “a 10-plus” on a scale of 1 to 10.
“How great would that be?” she asked rhetorically. “The only thing better would be to have a Jewish president.”
Emhoff is not just Jewish; he is, as he loves to say, proudly Jewish. He started his speech with a Jewish mother joke, saying “his mom “is the only person in the whole world who thinks Kamala is the lucky one, for marrying me.” He mentioned Hebrew school in the same sentence as Little League. And he recounted his journey to more forcefully embrace his Jewish identity as an adult — because of the Democratic presidential nominee.
“Kamala has connected me more deeply to my faith, even though it’s not the same as hers,” he said. “She comes to synagogue with me for High Holidays and I go to church with her for Easter. I get to enjoy her mom’s chile relleno recipe every Christmas, and she makes a mean brisket for Passover. It brings me right back to my grandmother’s apartment in Brooklyn — you know, the one with the plastic-covered couches.
“Those of you who belong to blended families know that they can be a little complicated,” he added. “But as soon as our kids started calling her ‘Momala,’ I knew we’d be OK.”
On Tuesday night, a man in the arena wore a baseball cap that said “Jews for Momala.”
Emhoff did not mention Israel or the war in Gaza during his remarks, but he did mention antisemitism — again invoking his better half. “Kamala has fought against antisemitism and all forms of hate her whole career,” he said. “And she encouraged me, as second gentleman, to take up that fight, which is so personal to me.”
The Jews in the audience responded with palpable relief and joy.
For at least a few moments, the debates over the war and the future of U.S. support for Israel were set aside in celebration of Emhoff’s milestone presence — in celebration of Emhoff himself. And its significance for Jews everywhere.
Marc Broklawski, a Democratic National Committee member from Virginia, could not contain his excitement hours ahead of the speech. Under his jacket, Broklawski wore a T-shirt reading “Doug for First Mensch” and said he was ready “to bring the whole place down in screaming.”
The crowd laughed at Emhoff’s goofy lines, especially his exaggerated self-mocking recounting of the first voicemail he left her when they were being set up on a blind date. They cheered his mention of fighting antisemitism — and his sharing that Thursday, the day Harris will formally accept the party’s presidential nomination, is their 10th wedding anniversary.
“Kamala was exactly the right person for me at an important moment in my life,” he said. “And at this moment in our nation’s history, she is exactly the right president.”
Emhoff’s headline speech Tuesday night followed a number of Jewish elected officials on the main stage, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, who got a huge round of applause when he demanded an end to the “horrific” war in Gaza. Like Emhoff, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer openly embraced his heritage and proudly announced that he was wearing a blue square pin “to stand up to antisemitism, to stand up to hate.”
“As the highest ranking Jewish elected official in American history, I want my grandkids — and all grandkids — to never face discrimination for who they are,” said Schumer, who is from Brooklyn. ““Our children, our grandchildren, no matter their race, no matter their creed, their gender or family, deserve better than Donald Trump’s American carnage.”
Since becoming second gentleman, Emhoff has showcased his Jewish heritage, including, for example, baking matzo with Jewish day school kids. He often introduces Harris to Jewish crowds and at holiday receptions at their D.C. home by citing the placement of mezuzahs on the doorposts of the vice president’s residence, where they hosted a Passover Seder celebrated Hanukkah.
“It is very important for the Jewish community that we are seeing Emhoff speak and to envision him in the White House,” said Eric Dinowitz, a New York City Councilman.
After the speech, Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, tweeted: “This is — truly — a remarkable moment for Jews in America.”
Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National Committee member who lost a 2022 congressional race on Long Island to disgraced former Rep. George Santos, described Emhoff’s elevation as “gratifying,” saying: “To think that we are going to have as the first gentleman a man who’s not just a Jew, but committed to Judaism, I think that is very emboldening.”
Schlep Labs, a group making digital videos in support of Democratic nominees declared Tuesday the “Day of the Doug!”
“When you go to the United Center tonight to see Doug Emhoff’s speech, grab your free stickers, including ‘I Dig Doug’ and ‘Teach Me How To Dougie,’ the group shared on Instagram and a WhatsApp group called “Jews at the DNC,” attaching a video that shows Emhoff’s dance moves.
Earlier in the day, Emhoff shared on X a video of his parents, Mike and Barbara, speaking about how they are often approached on the street about their son. “Wherever I go, anybody who knows him, they come over to me and they say, ‘Oh, your son is so wonderful,’” Barbara Emhoff said. “You know why? Because he is so real.”
On Tuesday night, Emhoff was introduced via video narrated by his son, Cole, who called him “goofy” and included the story of how he and his sister, Ella, gave her her Yiddish-sounding nickname, “Momala.” It included pictures of Emhoff wearing a large satin bow tie at his bar mitzvah and at Jewish summer camp, along with a clip of him, as second gentleman, saying: “There is an epidemic of hate, including a crisis of antisemitism in our country and around the world..”
“This is my dad, the first second gentleman in the history of this nation,” Cole said in the video. “And next he’s gonna make history again as the first first gentleman. He’s the glue that keeps this family together. We might not look like other families in the White House. But we are ready to represent all families in America.”
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