Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff hosted the White House's virtual Passover ceremony on Thursday, March 25, telling participants that after a year of isolation, such events "keep us connected and remind us that we're not alone."
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Emhoff, who is Jewish, attended the event with his wife, US Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a pre-recorded address, US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden stressed the need to get through the coronavirus crisis so that families could celebrate the holiday in person next year.
With more than 42% of all American seniors already fully inoculated against COVID-19, some vaccinated Jewish grandparents, forced to hold seders on Zoom last Passover, are emerging to embrace loved ones around the seder table during the weeklong celebration that begins on Saturday, March 27.
Video: Reuters
Grandparents scrambled to arrange Passover get-togethers once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its guarded blessing for limited in-person holiday gatherings this month.
Passover is the first major holiday for Americans to come together since the CDC this month advised that vaccinated people can hold small, unmasked gatherings with unvaccinated people from a single household. It marks a hopeful sign of near normalcy after the past year.
With Easter a week away and the summer holidays on the horizon, it will also be a test of whether people can act responsibly since gatherings still pose some risks.
Passover is a Jewish spring holiday to commemorate the biblical story of the exodus of Hebrews from Egyptian slavery, in which God instructed Jews to mark their doors so the Angel of Death would "pass over" them. It is celebrated by at least one seder that is typically led by a family matriarch or patriarch, who gathers family and friends around the seder table to enjoy a feast.
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