President Joe Biden on Friday marked Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year, in a celebration at the White House for the first time in his presidency, having limited last year’s event to a virtual phone call because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 


What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden on Friday marked Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year, in a celebration at the White House for the first time in his presidency

  • Also present were first lady Dr. Jill Biden, vice president Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president

  • During his own time as vice president, Biden was known for hosting both Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot receptions, reportedly becoming the first to do so 

  • Biden discussed the spirit of Rosh Hashanah, which marks the beginning of Judaism’s High Holy Days, saying it is a “sacred time, [of] introspection and renewal and repentance"

Rosh Hashanah began the night of Sunday, Sept. 25, and ended the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 27. The ten days between the end of Rosh Hashanah and the start of Yom Kippur, which begins this year on Oct. 4, are known as the Days of Awe, and are a time of introspection and self-reflection.

Also present at Friday’s ceremony were first lady Dr. Jill Biden, vice president Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president.

“As a lot of you know, the Bidens invited our community for celebrations when they lived at the vice president's residence, and now the vice president Harris and I – my wife – we are very grateful that we get to continue in the tradition that they set forth,” Emhoff said from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, introducing President Biden as one of the Jewish community’s “best friends.” 

During his own time as vice president, Biden was known for hosting both Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot receptions, reportedly becoming the first to do so. 

Biden began his message by addressing Jewish families living in Florida, or those with loved ones in the area affected by Hurricane Ian, saying in part: “Our heart goes out to everyone there in the state experiencing what could be maybe one of the most devastating hurricanes in the history of that state.” 

Biden acknowledged that many present at Friday’s celebration “are from the area or have family or friends there and as I said, it's got to be a tough time for a lot.” The vast majority of the United States’ Jewish population lives in just six states, according to data from Brandeis University, the top three being New York, California and Florida. 

The president went on to speak both of the significance of the High Holidays to Jewish people across the country and the world, and what it means for his family as well. While Biden himself is a devout Catholic, the president said he “received [his] education” at the Congregation Beth Shalom in his home state of Delaware thanks to Rabbi Michael Beals. 

“I probably went to shul more than many of you,” Biden joked to a round of laughter, referring to the Jewish house of worship. 

“Over the years, we've shared deep conversations about faith and finding purpose. And they've always, always, always been there for my family,” Biden said of the congregation at Beth Shalom. “And just like rabbis, synagogues and Jewish community centers in your hometown, you're always there. Your congregations are there for you and for everyone in the neighborhood, whether they're Jewish or not.” 

Rabbi Beals is a longtime supporter of the president, and in January 2021 delivered a benediction for Biden at a pre-inauguration event in Delaware. Beals also appeared in a video for Biden at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, in which the rabbi told a story about the first time he met the then-Delaware senator, at a shiva — a Jewish mourning custom — for an elderly constituent named Mrs. Greenhouse.

The service, Beals detailed in a separate blog post, was held in the communal laundry room of a rent-controlled senior housing facility in Delaware because the deceased’s apartment was too small to fit the group of mourners taking part in the Jewish funeral rite. Beals described shock when Biden walked in, by himself, and after the service, the rabbi asked the senator why he was there.

“‘Listen, back in 1972, when I first ran for Senate, Mrs. Greenhouse gave $18 to my first campaign,’” Beals recounted that Biden said. “‘Because that’s what she could afford. And every six years, when I’d run for reelection, she’d give another $18. She did it her whole life. I’m here to show my respect and gratitude.’”

Biden on Friday also discussed the spirit of Rosh Hashanah, which marks the beginning of Judaism’s High Holy Days, saying it is a “sacred time, [of] introspection and renewal and repentance, and a time to ask for forgiveness to mend our relationships with God and with our fellow man.” 

“The most important lesson of the High Holidays is that nothing, nothing is broken beyond repair,” Biden said, echoing the words of the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who passed away in 2020. “It's never too late to change, and to be better. I've always believed that message and I also think it's universal. And we've emerged from one of our most difficult moments in our history. I believe nothing is broken beyond repair.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.