Hanukkah at the White House
In December 1979, Jimmy Carter made history as the first president to mark Hanukkah at the White House, lighting both the (electric) National Menorah in Lafayette Park and a smaller menorah in an outdoor ceremony. Scroll through a gallery of Hanukkah “firsts” at the White House.
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In 1979, President Jimmy Carter lit both the (electric) National Menorah and a candle on a smaller menorah in an outdoor ceremony.
Credit: Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
President George H.W. Bush was the first to display a menorah in the White House in 1989.
Credit: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library/NARA -
In 1993, President Bill Clinton was the first to light a menorah inside the White House, in a small ceremony with school children in the oval office.
Credit: William J. Clinton Presidential Library/NARA -
President and First Lady George W. and Laura Bush hosted the first Hanukkah party at the White House in 2001.
Credit: George W. Bush Presidential Library/NARA -
In 2022, President Joe Biden commissioned the first official White House menorah.
Credit: White House
