President Obama Hosts White House Hanukkah Reception

On Thursday evening, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a Hanukkah reception in the Grand Foyer of the White House. Among those present were a number of members of Congress, two Supreme Court justices,  Cabinet members, and the Israeli ambassador to the United States. The West Point Jewish Chapel Cadet Choir sang. Rabbi Larry Bazer, Joint Forces Chaplain for the Massachusetts National Guard, lit a 90-year old menorah that recently survived Hurricane Sandy in a damaged Long Beach, New York synagogue.  In his remarks (full text), the President said in part: "To this day, Jews around the world honor the Maccabees' everlasting hope that light will overcome the darkness, that goodness will overcome evil, and that faith can accomplish miracles."