Hello, friends,
Like most people, I was surprised to discover that up until 10 years ago, no U.S. President had ever hosted Seder at the White House. Our State Senator Eric Lesser, who wrote this week’s cover story, helped change that.
Back in 2008, Lesser was a campaign staffer for former President Obama, then a U.S. Senator running for president. On the first night of Passover, Lesser was responsible for shepherding the campaign’s luggage in a U-Haul from Philadelphia to Harrisburg. He also managed to MacGyver an impromptu Seder in a hotel basement with some provisions borrowed from the University of Pennsylvania’s campus Hillel. It was late. It was three days before the Pennsylvania primary. Knock, knock: Guess who was the first to arrive?
Sen. Lesser is a fine and funny writer, and his account of that basement Seder and the depth and hijinks of the White House Seders that followed is a moving and hopeful essay. I was struck by, and nostalgic for, the kind of raw intellectual and emotional curiosity Obama displayed for his staffers and their family traditions, and I feel grateful to Sen. Lesser for sharing them in such a relatable and honest way. As he writes, “At one point, Obama asked me a question about how my family handled a certain portion. I had to sheepishly admit, ‘Senator, my family has never gotten this far!’ ” But most of all, the story represents the kind of meaningful exchanges that take place organically when people show genuine curiosity in the cultures and traditions of others. And, like I said, it’s also a really good read. Here’s to looking for — and finding — common ground.
Yours, Katy klukens@gazettenet.com