Secretary Kerry passed up the opportunity this week to recognize one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah. In recent weeks, however, Kerry took time to recognize the Independence/National Days of Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, and Andorra, among others. He also issued a statement regarding the crane accident at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and even recognized the Sammarinese people on September 3rd as they celebrated the Feast of San Marino and the Republic.
The White House did release a readout of a phone call that President Obama held with 500 American rabbis to commemorate Rosh Hashanah (in which the president plugged the Iran deal). However, the president did not release a public statement recognizing the observance of the occasion as the White House often does on such occasions, and oddly the readout of the phone call with the rabbis is missing from the White House's list of Statements and Releases, although the document is available by searching the site. In prior years, President Obama has routinely issued statements on Rosh Hashanah, even producing a videotaped message his first year in office. In three of the four years during Hillary Clinton's tenure at State ( 2009, 2010, 2011), the State Department blog noted the occasion. Since John Kerry assumed the office, however, Rosh Hashanah has passed largely unremarked by his department.
In contrast, Secretary Kerry has been quite attentive towards the observance of special days for various other groups. In July, the State Department hosted a reception in honor of Eid-al-Fitr, the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and Kerry issued a statement in June recognizing the start of Ramadan as well. (The White House issued separate statements commemorating both occasions as well.) Also, as THE WEEKLY STANDARD noted in April, Kerry addressed a reception celebrating Eid al-Adha last October, which marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. Later, in March, Kerry addressed the Iranian people in recognition of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
As noted earlier, Secretary Kerry is prolific in his recognition of the National Day or Independence Day of virtually every country on earth. In 2015 alone, the State Department lists 90 such statements. Israeli Independence Day, however, is inexplicably missing. The White House, on the other hand, marks the occasion annually.
When asked to explain the apparent neglect of Israel's special days by the State Department, spokesman Alec Gerlach's explanation was similar to one provided by the department in April:
The State Department and White House work together to address national days and religious holidays to share the sentiments and best wishes of the American people. The White House held a call last week with American rabbis to note the coming holiday, just as they normally address major U.S. holidays. The State Department frequently takes the lead in addressing events that are more prominent overseas and which may not be widely recognized domestically.
The State Department also pointed out as evidence of Kerry's attentiveness to "those of Jewish faith" Kerry's remarks on the seventieth anniversary of the London Charter, his observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, a statement on the 70th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz, and a statement on a compensation fund established for Holocaust victims, as well as Kerry's "Happy Hanukkah" wishes at a holiday event in December. However, the White House issued similar statements or sentiments in three out of five of these occasions as well.