Politics are unavoidable this year and interfaith families are definitely part of the conversation. Regardless of who is in the White House in 2021, the administration is sure to include an interfaith family.
Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner
Before her family was in politics, Ivanka Trump was already in the interfaith spotlight. She converted to Judaism in 2009 before marrying Jared Kushner. They had an Orthodox Jewish wedding ceremony, and their Jewish practices made headlines when they received special permission from rabbis to work or ride in cars on Shabbat as part of official government business. Ivanka is the first Jewish member of a presidential family.
Kamala Harris & Doug Emhoff
Kamala Harris was born to interfaith parents and is herself in an interfaith marriage. She was raised with both Hinduism and Christianity, and her husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. Their wedding reflected both Jewish and Hindu traditions, including breaking a glass during the ceremony. Her stepchildren call her by a Yiddish-inspired nickname–Mamaleh.
This won’t be the first time interfaith families play a role in American politics.
Chelsea Clinton & Marc Mezvinsky
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of President Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton, married her Jewish husband, Marc Mezvinsky, in 2010. Their wedding was co-officiated by a rabbi and a Methodist minister. The couple now lives in New York City with their three young children.
Bernie Sanders & Jane O’Meara Sanders
Bernie Sanders, the Jewish senator from Vermont and previous Democratic presidential hopeful, is married to Jane O’Meara Sanders, who was raised in an Irish Catholic family. They’ve been married since 1988, and Bernie adopted her children from her first marriage–creating a blended, interfaith family.
Nancy Pelosi
Though Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi herself comes from an Italian Catholic family, one of her daughters is married to a Jewish man. Pelosi has spoken proudly and publicly about her Jewish grandchildren.
Stephen Breyer & Joanna Freda Hare
The Supreme Court has been in the news a lot lately, but not all of its members get the same level of media attention. Justice Stephen Breyer has been on the court since 1994 and was the 7th Jewish justice to join the bench. His wife, Joanna Freda Hare, grew up in the Church of England.
Who would you add to this list? Are there interfaith families involved in politics where you live on the state or local level?
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