Over 150 staffers, from both parties and Houses of Congress and the administration, joined Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), the Senate?s newest member, and Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) for a celebration of Chanukah ? the Festival of Lights, complete with a menorah lighting, in the Atrium of the US Capitol Visitors Center on Wednesday, Dec. 8th.
The special event – featuring delicious hot latkes, donuts, chocolate gelt, dreidels and menorah kits, offered a unique opportunity for people working in Congress to take a break from this week?s hectic schedule to mark the last night of Chanukah. The celebration was sponsored by the Capitol Jewish Forum, a project of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) designed to ?create and enhance a sense of identity and community among Jewish Members of Congress and staffers in Congress and the Administration?.
After brief remarks by Senators Kirk and Lieberman, and Congresswoman Berkley, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Director of American Friends of Lubavitch in Washington, DC, led the assembled in a menorah lighting ceremony.
One of the staffers present needed to say kaddish to mark the yartzeit of his father, and a minyan quickly assembled to do so at the Eastern Wall of the Atrium, right under the inscribed Pledge of Allegiance. Yes, indeed, One Nation Under G-d, with Liberty and Justice for All.
Im happy the self hating jews Rahm Emmanuel and David Axelrod were not there.
Mark Kirk is a Republican.
The photo of the minyen is powrful
Looks very good a true kiddush hashem and kiddush lubavitch.
Chaim
http://www.chabad.org.au