Doug Emhoff told attendees of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday that his non-Jewish wife, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, helps him connect with his Jewish faith.
“She comes to synagogue with me for High Holiday services, and I go to church with her for Easter,” said Emhoff, who has often served as a White House emissary to the Jewish community.
“I get to enjoy her mom’s chile relleno recipe every Christmas, and she makes a mean brisket for Passover that brings me right back to my grandmother’s apartment in Brooklyn—you know, the one with the plastic-covered couches,” Emhoff said.
“Kamala has fought against antisemitism and all forms of hate her whole career,” Emhoff added, adopting a phrase that the Biden administration has used for years broadening Jew-hatred. “She encouraged me, as second gentleman, to take up that fight, which is so personal to me.”
Emhoff, who drew ridicule last year for apparently misunderstanding the Chanukah story, told the audience about taking the bus to Hebrew school growing up, and about working at the decidedly non-kosher restaurant McDonald’s.
He told the crowd that his wife, the Democratic nominee for president, “stands up to bullies—just like my parents taught me to.”
“She likes to see people do well and hates when they’re treated unfairly,” he said. “Her empathy is her strength.”
Emhoff drew mixed reactions from Jewish viewers.
“I’ve appreciated each time I’ve met with Doug Emhoff to discuss the surge in antisemitism in the United States. He’s sincere and serious in embracing his Jewish identity and trying to make a difference,” wrote Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center.
“The Jewish vote may be decisive in this election—especially in Pennsylvania and possibly Michigan and Wisconsin,” he added. “Outreach by Doug Emhoff will be crucial, as will how Kamala Harris fleshes out her policy positions re Israel and other issues.”
Josh Hammer, senior editor-at-large at Newsweek, saw things quite differently.
“Behold, the loser assimilationist mentality that has defined weak-kneed Jews from the sin of the Golden Calf through Second Temple-era Hellenizers through World War II-era kapos,” he wrote. “Every Jewish man marrying a non-Jewish woman gives Hitler a victory from the grave. Emhoff is no different.”
