Ivanka Trump posted this image and message on her Instagram and Twitter feeds Monday night. Image by Instagram/Ivanka Trump

By Liza Schoenfein April 11, 2017

Having posted Sunday that President Donald Trump would be hosting a Seder at the White House Monday evening for the first night of Passover, I was somehow not surprised to read that he was, in fact, a no-show.

First daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who are Jewish, were not in attendance either. At about 8:45 last night, Ivanka Trump posted the family photo above on Instagram and Twitter, with the comment, “During #Passover, we are called upon to reflect on the significance of the exodus from Egypt and to celebrate the great freedoms we enjoy today! #ChagPesach”

In a pointed response, someone posted the comment: “While you are celebrating a mas [sic] exodus of refugees, your Dad and Co are not allowing them into our land…”

Forwarding the News

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

Terms(Required)

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

Email(Required)

Along with White House staffers, one Trump cabinet member participated: secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, who is a holdover from the Obama administration.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told The Times of Israel that a kosher meal was provided at the Seder, which was held in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, not far from the West Wing.

Liza Schoenfein is food editor of the Forward. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter, @LifeDeathDinner

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.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount