• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Policies
  • Submissions
    • Op-eds
    • News / Announcements
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

eJewish Philanthropy

Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource

  • News Bits
  • Jewish Education
  • Readers Forum
  • Research
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / The Blog / How NFTY Helped Me Bring Passover to the White House

How NFTY Helped Me Bring Passover to the White House

October 1, 2014 By eJP

Photo of Eric Lesser-NFTYBy Eric Lesser

In 2008, I found myself as a young aide on Barack Obama’s first Presidential campaign. At that time, my job was considerably low on the organizational ladder; I was in charge of keeping track of the luggage for the campaign’s traveling staff. The job took me to 47 states and six countries in less than a year.

The travel schedule meant I would be away from home during Passover, but luckily, I learned from NFTY, you can build a Jewish community wherever you go. Working with a few other Jewish campaign staffers, I organized an impromptu Seder at the end of a whistle-stop tour in Harrisburg, PA, and the then-Senator Obama decided to join us. At the end of the Seder, we raised our glasses to pronounce “Next Year in Jerusalem!” Senator Obama added, “Next Year in the White House!” It led to the first White House Seder in American history, and a new annual tradition for the President.

Each year, when we gather around the White House Seder table, the President asks us how we celebrate Passover with our own families. He asks about the meaning of each tradition, and the lessons we take away from story of Exodus. We also take time to acknowledge the universality of the Passover story by reciting passages from the Emancipation Proclamation. Despite the Presidential setting, it’s a feeling and a conversation I’m very comfortable having – because of the way NFTY helped shape my community identity so many years ago.

NFTY was a place to both grow and develop as a leader, and to have a good time in the process. Memories of conclavettes (weekend long events), Institutes at Camp Eisner, movie nights at Sinai Temple in Springfield, Mass., and trips to temple youth groups across New England are among my fondest memories from high school. NFTY taught me that it was possible to have fun, spend time with friends, and do mitzvot at the same time.

I was in high school during a particularly critical time for Israel and the Jewish community. The Second Intifada erupted my junior year, confronting Israel with a barrage of suicide bombers and violence on a mass scale. American Jews were eager to get involved. My generation was looking to do its part, but was unsure of the best way to be helpful.

NFTY gave me that community, and a way to help. I took one of my first trips to Washington D.C. with NFTY, to visit the Religious Action Center, where I participated in a solidarity march for Israel on the National Mall. I met hundreds of other passionate young Jews from across the country with a similar commitment to peace and protecting Israel’s right to exist.

NFTY also presented opportunities for me to make a difference closer to home. For several years, I participated in an interfaith dialogue between Sinai Temple and Springfield’s Alden Baptist Church. Those sessions reinforced a fundamental perspective of Reform Judaism: Jewish values of tikkun olam and social justice are universal values, shared by people of all faiths. We worked with other religious groups on a variety of community service projects, including partnering with a local church operating a food bank and soup kitchen.

Of course, a great deal of meaningful learning also came from informal settings. Some of my fondest memories are of late night banter around the campfire at Eisner, where the conversation would shift from the latest Green Day song, to the importance of doing mitzvot. Additionally, being in charge of finding housing for 100 teenagers visiting for a weekend conclavette can teach a 15-year-old a lot about leadership and organization.

With each year, and each experience, I grew more confident in my Jewish faith, and more assured of my ability to follow the Jewish example of tikkun olam. Thanks to NFTY, I was able to hone in on the power of working as a community, so when it came time to discuss those themes at the White House Seder table, I was prepared.

Eric Lesser is a candidate for State Senate in the Massachusetts First Hampden & Hampshire District. In high school, he was the President of the Springfield Federation of Temple Youth, based at Sinai Temple in Springfield, MA. He worked as the Special Assistant to White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod and later as the Director of Strategic Planning for the White House Council of Economic Advisers. He has a B.A. from Harvard College and is completing his law degree from Harvard Law School. Eric lives in Longmeadow, MA with his wife, Alison, and his young daughter, Rose.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: The Blog Tagged With: NFTY - The Reform Jewish Youth Movement

Click here to Email This Post Email This Post to friends or colleagues!

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Join The Conversation

What's the best way to follow important issues affecting the Jewish philanthropic world? Our Daily Update keeps you on top of the latest news, trends and opinions shaping the landscape, providing an invaluable source for inspiration and learning.
Sign Up Now
For Email Marketing you can trust.

Continue The Conversation

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Marty Kander on BBYO receives historic $25 million Pledge to Support Women’s Leadership and Empowerment
  • Esther Shapiro on BBYO receives historic $25 million Pledge to Support Women’s Leadership and Empowerment
  • Judy Aron on BBYO receives historic $25 million Pledge to Support Women’s Leadership and Empowerment
  • Jeremy Broekman on BBYO receives historic $25 million Pledge to Support Women’s Leadership and Empowerment
  • Cindy Chazan on BBYO receives historic $25 million Pledge to Support Women’s Leadership and Empowerment

Most Popular Recent Posts

  • BBYO receives historic $25 million Pledge to Support Women’s Leadership and Empowerment
  • Words to Avoid – 2019 Edition
  • Being Heard: What We Owe Jewish Community Professionals
  • Redefining Jewish Education: Federations’ Goals for a New Century
  • Caregiving – The Big Issue No One is Talking About

Categories

Archives

Footer

What We Do

eJewish Philanthropy highlights news, resources and thought pieces on issues facing our Jewish philanthropic world in order to create dialogue and advance the conversation. Learn more.

Top 40 Philanthropy Blogs and Websites to Follow in 2019

Copyright © 2019 · eJewish Philanthropy · All Rights Reserved