Kamala Harris’s husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, is being mocked on social media for botching the story of Hanukkah when he posted a photo of him and Kamala lighting a menorah.
"'The story of Hanukkah and the story of the Jewish people has always been one of hope and resilience. In the Hanukkah story, the Jewish people were forced into hiding,"' he wrote in a post on X that has since been deleted. "No one thought they would survive or that the few drops of oil they had would last. But they survived and the oil kept burning."
"During those eight days in hiding, they recited their prayers and continued their traditions," Emhoff added. "That's why Hanukkah means dedication. It was during those dark nights that the Maccabees dedicated themselves to maintaining hope and faith in the oil, each other, and their Judaism."
He added, “In these dark times, I think of that story."
He literally just made this up. This is not the story of Hannukah. This is embarrassing. Also did Kamala write this tweet? It sounds like her speeches. https://t.co/XUrBs8dMWD pic.twitter.com/kP18F0BQPD
— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) December 12, 2023
Yeah, not quite. Actually, not at all. Did he write that, or did some brainless staffer without a clue write it? I’m not sure which is worse, to be honest. Frankly, it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that the Jewish Second Gentleman actually posted this blatantly incorrect explanation of the story of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah honors the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. The celebration also revolves around the miraculous lighting of the menorah, where a small amount of oil, originally sufficient for just one day, ended up lasting for eight days.
"As I said, another idiot,” wrote conservative radio host Mark Levin on X/Twitter, in response to the post. Many others were quick to point out Emhoff's faux pas before the post was deleted.
I suspect an intern would have done some research before making this post, which leads me to believe that Emhoff attempted to recall the story on his own, failing miserably at the same time. Doug Emhoff probably wouldn’t know the difference between a potato latke and a sufganiyah.
He has not shared a replacement post with the correct story on his account.
According to The Daily Mail, Emhoff "has taken the lead for the administration in speaking out against the wave of anti-Semitism."
"Speaking at a ceremony to light the National Menorah on Thursday, Emhoff said there was a 'crisis of antisemitism' that was making it difficult for many Jews in America to celebrate Hanukkah,” the paper wrote.
Not knowing and understanding the real story of Hanukkah doesn’t help either.
He also criticized the presidents of three elite universities for their Capitol Hill testimony about antisemitism on campus, saying it was an example of why many Jews have felt 'feeling unmoored and afraid' because of backlash to Israel's military response in Gaza.
'Seeing the presidents of some of our most elite universities literally unable to denounce calling for the genocide of Jews as antisemitic — that lack of moral clarity is simply unacceptable,' Emhoff said.
'Let me be clear. When Jews are targeted because of their beliefs or identity, and when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is antisemitism. And it must be condemned and condemned unequivocally and without context,' he said.
Last month, Emhoff’s daughter, Ella Emhoff, used her Instagram account to promote the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund to her 315,000+ followers for "urgent relief for Gaza's children.” Her promotion of the fund made no mention of the Israeli children who were killed or kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Ella Emhoff, who is also Kamala Harris's stepdaughter, was reportedly not raised Jewish and does not consider herself a Jew.
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