In a social media post on Monday, Douglas Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband, inaccurately shared a Hanukkah story. After facing criticism for the confusion, he deleted the post on X, previously known as Twitter, where he had shared a picture of himself and Harris lighting a menorah, along with his recounting of the origins of the eight-day Jewish holiday.
“The story of Hanukkah and the story of the Jewish people has always been one of hope and resilience. In the Hanukkah story, the Jewish people were forced into hiding,” he wrote. “No one thought they would survive or that the few drops of oil they had would last. But they survived and the oil kept burning.”
“During those eight days in hiding, they recited their prayers and continued their traditions,” Emhoff, who is Jewish and is working with the White House on combating antisemitism, continued in the now deleted post. “That’s why Hanukkah means dedication. It was during those dark nights that the Maccabees dedicated themselves to maintaining hope and faith in the oil, each other, and their Judaism.”
He added that he thinks of the story during “dark times.”
Emhoff’s post drew criticism from numerous social media users, with many disputing the accuracy of his rendition.
“How could this have happened?” wrote Noah Rothman, a senior writer for the National Review.
“I’m really hoping the Second Gentleman left this to some hapless and uneducated intern who couldn’t be bothered to even consult Wikipedia. Eight days of hiding? Yikes, man!” wrote Jason Bedrick, a research fellow for the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy.
