President Joe Biden marked the fourth night of Hanukkah on Wednesday with a menorah-lighting ceremony at the White House, saying the holiday served as a chance to remind Americans that miracles are possible.
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-night, nine-day wintertime holiday whose name translates from Hebrew to mean “dedication,” representing the Jewish people retaking the Holy Temple in Jerusalem from Greeks.
The menorah itself symbolises the miracle of Hanukkah. As the story goes, the Jewish people found enough oil to light a menorah for only one night — but thanks to a miracle, the candle remained lit for eight nights, until more oil could be made.
“The Hanukkah story provides a powerful lesson and nourishes the wellspring of hope,” Biden said at the Wednesday evening ceremony. “In darkness is light and cynicism. There's hope and optimism and unyielding belief. Miracles are possible.”
Biden was joined by first lady Dr. Jill Biden, as well as vice president Kamala Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, at Wednesday’s event.
Harris and Emhoff, who is the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, helped light the National Menorah on the Ellipse on Sunday.
“This is a White House tradition. But for the first time in history, it is a family tradition,” Biden said of lighting the menorah alongside Harris and Emhoff. “Doug, we're honored that you are leading the menorah lighting.”
Emhoff performed the honor of lighting the menorah on Wednesday evening, saying in a speech it was “humbling” to stand before America on behalf of “all the Jewish families and communities out there across our country.”
“Jewish values are American values. And I believe this deeply,” Emhoff said to applause. “That's really what makes us being here, together, just so powerful.”
The menorah at Wednesday’s ceremony held special significance: Dubbed the Liberty Bell menorah, it was provided to the White House from the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.
The menorah itself was designed by Manfred Anson, a Holocaust survivor who escaped Nazi Germany as a teenager and who passed away in 2012.
Biden also used the opportunity to condemn a recent surge in antisemetic acts across the United States, saying in part: “We have to stand against this resurgence, this tide of antisemitism and other forms of intolerance and hate here at home and around the world.”
According to a report from the Anti-Defamation League, 2019 had the highest number of recorded antisemitic incidents since the group began keeping track of such events in 1979. Last year saw a 4% decrease in such reports from the year prior, but was still the third-highest year for antisemitic events on record.
In early July, Biden tapped Emory University historian Deborah Lipstadt as special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, saying Wednesday there “is nobody more qualified” to tackle the issue.
Biden himself is Catholic, and attends mass nearly every Sunday. The White House rolled out its Christmas decorations on Monday with the theme “Gifts from the Heart,” which honors frontline workers in the COVID-19 pandemic.