NEW YORK – In his address to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff invoked his Jewish faith and Vice President Kamala Harris’s embrace of her Jewish blended family.
Images of Emhoff’s involvement and connection to the Jewish community flashed in the introduction video narrated by his son Cole.
Emhoff first described his childhood where he rode his bike to Hebrew school. He then described faith in his marriage to Harris.
“Kamala has connected me more deeply to my faith, even though it’s not the same as hers,” Emhoff said.
Emhoff said Harris comes with him to synagogue for high holiday services and he goes to church with her for Easter.
He said on Christmas he gets to enjoy her mom’s chili recipe every Christmas, and Harris “makes a mean brisket for Passover” which he joked brings him back to his grandmother’s apartment in Brooklyn.
Championing the fight against antisemitism and hate
He transitioned to addressing antisemitism, a cause he’s championed as second gentleman.
“Kamala has fought against antisemitism and all forms of hate her whole career,” he said. “She is the one who encouraged me as second gentleman to take up that fight which is so personal to me.”
Emhoff did not reference Israel or the hostages in his remarks.
New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer’s speech at the DNC on Tuesday shifted from jubilant, celebrating Harris, to serious when addressing his Jewish identity.
Schumer, as the highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress, said he never wants his grandkids to face discrimination because of who they are.
“But Donald Trump, this is a guy who peddles antisemitic stereotypes. He even invited a white supremacist to Mar a Lago, and unfortunately, his prejudice goes in all directions,” Schumer said.
Schumer acknowledged the blue, square pin on his lapel from ‘Stand Up to Jewish Hate’ – the campaign to target antisemitism – from Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
“I am wearing this blue square to stand up to antisemitism, to stand up to all hate,” he said. “Our children, our grandchildren, no matter their race, no matter their creed, their gender or family, deserve better than Donald Trump’s American carnage.”
Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders received a standing ovation on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention when calling for an “end to the horrific war in Gaza.”
“Bring home the hostages and demand an immediate ceasefire,” he said.
Sanders was the first speaker on Tuesday night to both call for the return of the hostages and for a ceasefire.
The response in the arena was overwhelmingly supportive of Sanders’s remarks.