Doug Emhoff Opens Up About His Jewish Faith and Historic Role: 'I Would Have Said, "There's No Way" '
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Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith Doug Emhoff
Doug Emhoff is opening up about his historic role as second gentleman of the United States, and as the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president.
Speaking to Politico in a profile published Friday, the 57-year-old Emhoff — who is married to Vice President Kamala Harris — told the outlet his faith has played an unexpectedly large role in his duties as Second Gentleman.
"I went in anticipating: 'Who is going to care that I'm Jewish?' " he said. "I didn't expect to feel the way I felt about being in this role."
Indeed, Emhoff's Jewish faith has played a large role in his public life since his wife came to office.
Last April, he celebrated Passover at the Virtual National Rainbow Seder with LGBTQ people.
Then, in November, he lit the first candle at the National Menorah lighting ceremony to celebrate the start of Hanukkah, using his speech to tout the need to address intolerance and hate against Jewish communities.
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Ron Sachs/UPI/Shutterstock Doug Emhoff
"We know the freedom that my family members and that American Jews everywhere have yearned for and championed, the freedom that our nation promises to all of those that live and worship here, that freedom has at times been undermined by hate," Emhoff said then. "As my wife, the vice president, Kamala Harris, would say, we must speak the truth about that. We must speak truth about this epidemic of hate. American Jews and Jews worldwide have experienced and continue to experience hostility, discrimination and violence."
That same evening, Emhoff and Harris lit a menorah at their home at the Number One Observatory Circle in Washington, later posting a photo of the moment on Twitter.
Speaking to Politico this week, though, Emhoff said he was never that religious growing up. It was only later in life that he realized his faith was unique. "Being an entertainment lawyer in Hollywood you're kind of like, 'Wow, wait, everyone is not Jewish?' " he said.
Speaking to TIME in November, Emhoff said life "changed on a dime, without any time to breathe or reflect," when Harris was picked as Joe Biden's running mate late in the summer of 2020.
"I'm doing things that I probably wouldn't have done," Emhoff told TIME — which, it seems, includes celebrating his heritage in unique ways: re-visiting his childhood temple, prepping for Passover Seder and making matzo with Jewish students, as he did this Wednesday.
"Some of this stuff is very fun, yes," Emhoff told Politico. "But some of this stuff is serious. I've been to 35 some odd states. I've been to two countries. I'm someone who is, by nature, I'm going to raise my hand and work hard."
And while he left his more than three-decade career as an entertainment lawyer to join his wife in Washington, D.C., Emhoff has carved out a new identity for himself.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images From left: Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris
"When you see a bunch of kids cheering for someone they see in this position who is Jewish," he said to Politico: "I was reflecting, 40 something years ago, if I was in this assembly and you told me there was going to be a Jew married to the vice president, I would have said, 'There's no way. There is just no way.' "
Emhoff, who exited his firm ahead of the inauguration and joined Georgetown University Law Center to teach an entertainment law course, has previously marveled at his circumstances.
Speaking to Today last June, he said he thinks about how he got to this point "every minute of every day."
"And sometimes she and I will look at each other and just — I'll say, 'You're the vice president of the United States,' and she'll say, 'You're the second gentleman of the United States.' "
