Shelley Greenspan, White House Liaison to the American Jewish Community said in a late Friday afternoon email that serving both President Biden and the Jewish community “has been one of the greatest privileges” of her life.
Greenspan referenced Vayigash, this week’s Torah portion, in which Judah pleads with Joseph in Egypt to free his youngest brother Benjamin and offers himself as a replacement.
“Judah approached Joseph with a mix of humility, courage, and steadfast commitment to defending his family—balancing prayer, persuasion, and even a willingness to fight, all at once,” Greenspan wrote. “We see the best of Judah, our namesake, in this parsha.”
Greenspan said during her time as liaison, she’d been privileged to “witness the very best of Judah in the Jewish people.”
“Even through our most challenging days, our community has consistently demonstrated humility, courage, and an unwavering commitment to defending one another. You have been an inspiration to me as I’ve worked within the walls of the White House,” Greenspan continued. “As we continue to navigate these challenging times, I join you in praying for the safe return of all hostages.”
Will her role be filled in the next administration?
President-elect Donald Trump has yet to announce if he’ll fill Greenspan’s role upon returning to the White House.
Trump drew ire from the Jewish community during his first administration for never appointing a Jewish community liaison, making himself the first president not to do so since Jimmy Carter first appointed Edward Sanders to the role in 1978.
Elan Carr, who Trump tapped as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism two years into his administration after relentless pushing from the Jewish community, bore some of the brunt of the absence of a Jewish liaison, which he described as “a little hiccup.”
Shortly after Election Day, Carr told a panel at the North American Jewish Federations General Assembly that it’s better to have a Jewish liaison, even though “we lived without one and did okay” during the first Trump administration.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
