page_title: White House Hanukkah Party
section_title: 2009
hierarchical_section_title: White House Hanukkah Party / White House Hanukkah Parties hosted by President Barack Obama / 2009
caption_attribution_description: English: Official White House photo of 2009 White House Hanukkah party. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama watch as a child lights the Hanukkah menorah.
context_page_description: The White House Hanukkah Party is an annual reception held at the White House and hosted by the U.S. President and First Lady to recognize and celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The tradition was established in 2001, during the administration of George W. Bush. The guest list includes hundreds of American Jewish politicians, organization heads, and school and yeshiva deans.
  The reception has become one of a number of ways the president recognizes the holiday, along with a proclamation/message, and participation by the president or a member of his staff in the lighting of the National Menorah on the National Mall. Additionally, in 1996, 2004 and 2009, the United States Postal Service issued Hanukkah themed postage stamps in honor of the holiday.
context_section_description: President Barack Obama continued the tradition of a White House Hanukkah Party established by his predecessor. However, favoring smaller and more intimate receptions, he invited fewer members of the Jewish community than had Bush, a decision that stirred up some controversy – especially when invitees noted that the invitations made no specific mention of Hanukkah, instead inviting guests to a "holiday reception".  But many leaders and pundits called the criticism chutzpah (audacity), with one article in The Huffington Post stating that Obama ought to be applauded, not attacked, as he and his administration continued efforts to govern in a bipartisan and inclusive manner; this Hanukkah party was just one positive reflection of this trend.
  For the 2009 Hanukkah party, the White House had made arrangements to use a sterling silver Hanukkah menorah on special loan from the Jewish Museum in Prague, at the request of the First Lady. She had toured Jewish historic sites in Prague in April 2009 during her husband's official state visit. The menorah was crafted by Viennese silversmith Cyril Schillberger in 1783. At the candle-lighting ceremony, candles were lit by two young children of a Jewish soldier deployed in Iraq.
  One "first" for President Obama was the fact that his 2009 Hanukkah message was issued in both English and Hebrew versions. The message recalls the Hanukkah story of Jews who fought for religious freedom against seemingly overwhelming odds, noting that the lesson for everyone is "that faith and perseverance are powerful forces that can sustain us in difficult times and help us overcome even the greatest odds".
  Other members of President Obama's staff – and other U.S. leaders at all levels of government – continued to participate in official Hanukkah ceremonies in the tradition of previous administrations. For example, in 2009, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel participated in the lighting of the menorah on the National Mall.
caption: White House Hanukkah Party, candle-lighting, 2009
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