The Final State of the Union
This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.
Summary:
Watch this video that tells the story of the lamp at the center of this year's White House Hanukkah celebration, which was created in a displaced persons camp following WW2 and dedicated to an American general
Learn the history behind the White House menorah. Watch the video here.
A very special menorah was the centerpiece of this year's Hanukkah celebration at the White House. It was created in a displaced persons’ camp after World War II and is dedicated to General Joseph T. McNarney, who served as the Commander in Chief of United States Forces in the European theatre from November 1945 to March 1947.
The Hebrew inscription on the lamp, “A great miracle happened there,” is found on the dreidls (or tops) that children play with on Hanukkah and refers to the miracle of Hanukkah, but may in this instance also poignantly signify the liberation and salvation of the Jews in the displaced persons’ camp.
Related:
Watch how the White House "kosherized" the kitchen before the Hanukkah celebration
Menorah that survived Katrina is a source of inspiration
