by Joni Cohan, NCJW Vice President

On December 13, 2012, I had the honor of representing NCJW at the White House Hanukkah party. My whirlwind day in Washington was not all celebration. It began at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building that morning with a briefing organized by Jarrod Bernstein, Director of Jewish Outreach at the White House.

At that briefing we heard from administration officials who shared with us a variety of issues.  Jonathan Greenblatt, Director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, spoke on how to engage people in civic life – something that leads to higher rates of voter registration. He shared ideas about how social media could affect economic recovery and job creation. He discussed FEMACorp, an AmeriCorp program with 2000 positions for young people who are prepared to aid in times of disaster.

When Julie Rodriguez, Associate Director of Latino Affairs and Immigration, briefed us on our broken immigration system and the economic and moral imperative to fix it, I could not help but be proud of my section – Dallas Section’s – work to build a local immigration coalition. She spoke of on-the-ground efforts in our local communities to engage allies, including key business leaders, law enforcement, workers, families, and national security leaders.

Jon Carson, Director of the Office of Public Engagement, covered another issue of interest to NCJW – voter suppression. He explained that despite the fact that the Department of Justice had won lawsuits in every state related to the issue, what was needed was action on problematic state laws. Finally, Steve Simon, Senior Director for Middle East and North Africa on the National Security Council spoke about the Middle East. He told us that the US posture in regards to the Arab Spring was to oppose violence and to support a set of universal rights, political and economic reform, and democratic transitions. In the recent conflict between Israel and Gaza, the administration supported Israel and, with Egypt, worked hard to bring about peace, he reminded us.

After this briefing, the fun began. The Hanukah party at the White House was an experience I will never forget. Those attending were greeted at every turn and made to feel welcome.  I was reminded that although Jews are only a small percentage of the population, we are well represented in American society and culture. As we entered the beautiful rooms of the White House, we heard the voices of the West Point Jewish Chapel Cadet Choir; the U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra later played a musical tribute to Jewish-American Composers. The White House kitchen had been made kosher for the event.  And there were many well-known personalities to enjoy the food, including:  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Vice President Joseph Biden, David Axelrod, and Israel’s Ambassador Michael Oren. President Obama, speaking of the Hanukkah story, lit the menorah with a Jewish chaplain who had been in Afghanistan the year before. The menorah had been saved after Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and loaned for the occasion by Temple Israel of Long Beach, New York. After the ceremony, the President and First Lady greeted many of of us. The NCJW delegation joining me included: CEO Nancy Kaufman, Janet Solitt (NCJW, Inc. Assistant Treasurer), Robin Frank (NCJW, Inc. Board Director) and Nancy Ratzan, immediate past president.

The “after-party” was at the Library of Congress – another impressive building.  Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, our host, and Ambassador Oren spoke to the crowd, and young members of Israel’s military sang. To cap off this busy, wonderful day, we visited the exhibit:  ”Words Like Sapphires, 100 Years of Hebraica at the Library of Congress, 1912-2012.” There along with all the precious items was a 1926 booklet used by the National Council of Jewish Women used to teach English to Yiddish-speaking immigrants (some things never change). What a fitting way to end this extraordinary day!