Apparently trying to prove that there’s nothing too small and petty for some in the Jewish community to complain about, The Jerusalem Post’s Hilary Krieger has a story about some anonymous Jewish leaders expressing disappointment over the fact that President Obama is planning to invite only 400 people to this year’s White House Chanukah party — instead of the 800 on the guest list for President George W. Bush’s final Chanukah bash last year. The reason is primarily cost in these tough economic times:
Though several Jewish leaders expressed understanding for the economic and other reasons behind the cut, they acknowledged that it would likely help feed feelings in som.e quarters of the American Jewish community thatthe White House is giving them the cold shoulder.
It comes as a different attempt at outreach to Jews – an appearance by US President Barack Obama before the General Assembly of North American Jewish Federations last week – was cancelled so that the president could participate in a Fort Hood memorial service.
"I don’t know which people will be more upset about," said one Jewish leader, comparing the disappointment of those who had expected to see Obama speak with those who wouldn’t be getting an invitation to the Hanukka celebration.
Given the current climate, the Jewish official continued, "The pressure on the White House to have the right people at the Hanukka party is going to be enormous."
When asked about the decisions surrounding the guest list and its trimming, a White House spokesman responded that Obama "looks forward to celebrating Hanukka atthe White House and having many members of the Jewish American community at that event."
The article points out that Bush’s first Chanukah party also had a guest list of around 400 in year one of his presidency (also amidst tough economic times), and that officials want to have room for "natural growth" of the list over the next few years. On the other hand, it notes that there are many more Jewish Democrats in Washington and the country as a whole than there are Jewish Republicans.
The Orthodox Union’s Nathan Diament suggests people should find something else to whine about:
"As we know from Biblical times, we Jews are very good at complaining," [Diament] said. "People shouldn’t complain. It’s very nice that President Obama is having a Hanukka party.
"People can choose to gripe about the guest list or any other aspect of it, but the fact is this White House is going to continue this practice, which is a lovely thing."
UPDATE: Rabbi Levi Shemtov, who as American Friends of Lubavitch Washington director has been involved with the White House Chanukah party since it formally began in 2001, says complaints about the size of the guest list are "very inappropriate" for an event that is the president’s prerogative to hold in the first place.
"My delight at the continuation of this wonderful tradition is far greater than any disappointment in the cutting of the list," he said. "Inclusion from across the community is more important than how many specifically from each sector get to go."
