Welcome back, Richard Michelson! Richard’s new picture book NEXT YEAR IN THE WHITE HOUSE: BARACK OBAMA’S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL SEDER (Crown Books For Young Readers, 2025) illustrated by E.B. Lewis retells the true story of the first White House seder in 2009, and its beginnings a year prior, prompted by Jewish campaign staffers who held their seder in a hotel basement. Readers will discover many meaningful moments, including President Obama discussing the story of Exodus as an inspiration to the civil rights movement. Lewis’s lifelike watercolor illustrations are vibrant and colorful, setting the scene of the historic event. I look forward to learning more from Richard about this fascinating story.
The first seder in the White House was very meaningful to the Jewish community. How did you discover the story of Eric, Arun, and Herbie that inspired the seder? Have you had the opportunity to meet any of them?
Hi Barbara, Thanks for inviting me to your blog. I first heard of the initial Presidential Seder soon after it happened (2009), because Eric Lesser, who was Obama’s baggage handler and staff aide on the campaign trail, did an interview with a local newspaper. Eric was a much beloved State Senator in Western MA, where I also live, so I read the article with interest, especially because I had recently published As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom, which also concerned the shared history of Blacks and Jews. But, as much as I would love to take credit for having the vision to turn this first Seder into a picture book, and even though I tell aspiring authors to always pay attention—if a story interests you, it will likely interest others as well– I was working on other projects at the time and promptly forgot about the Seder, until fifteen years later when my friends at PJ Library called, and offered me the opportunity to meet Eric and tell his story. It turns out Eric had been coming into my gallery for years, and his ketubah was painted by one of my artists, Karla Gudeon, who also illustrated my book, The Language of Angels: A Story about the Reinvention of Hebrew. Eric has been very generous in joining me on many of the book signing stops. I have not yet met Herbie, or Arun, but we have communicated by email.
In writing and researching the book, did you learn about any interesting anecdotes that didn’t make it into the book?
I learned that Not all traditions are compatible with white house security measures. Opening the front door for Elijah was not an option at the first Presidential Seder. Elijah would have to find another way in if he wanted to drink from his cup of wine.
There was also the Macaroon Security stand-off. Outside food is not allowed into the White House, so when one of the guests brought home-made macaroons, the Secret Service stopped them at the gate. Obama offered to fetch them himself, which was also against protocol, so an aide had to go to the gate and clear them.
Do you remember how you felt when you first heard about the seder in the White House?
I was full with the hope that we were finally ushering in a new age of equality, but it was actually the back story of the previous Seder that really moved me. The fact that candidate Obama, exhausted from a long day campaigning on the trail– when by all rights he should have ordered in and went to bed– decided to join his three young staffers at the campaign trail basement Seder. At the time his campaign was at a low point, and Jews were turning against him because of earlier statements by his former pastor Jeremiah Wright. Yet Obama joined the Seder with no thought of personal gain—there were no cameras, or press present. Just a personal moment shared because it was the human, decent thing to do.
What were your thoughts when you saw the illustrations by E.B. Lewis? Did you have any input on the illustrations?
In general, I do not have input of the illustrator of my books. Once my story is sold it is the editors decision. In this rare case, however, PJ Library did ask for my recommendations and I immediately recommended my dear friend EB Lewis. EB and I have previously collaborated on two earlier books, Happy Feet, and Across the Alley, which both also touched on the historical relationship between Jews and Blacks, the latter being a fictionalized account of my own childhood. PJ Library had chosen that book for their program, and I knew they would love EB’s illustrations (who wouldn’t!). EB was booked up years in advance, but he did his magic and carved time out of his schedule. I could not have been happier when I saw his amazing watercolors.
What do you hope readers take away from NEXT YEAR IN THE WHITE HOUSE?
That a humble Seder in a basement room can be as meaningful as the loftiest of celebrations. I also hope the book helps readers take the long view, in these difficult politicized times. Moses wandered forty years through the desert and did not get to enter the promised land. Change doesn’t come easily and entails many hardships. Don’t get discouraged. We must each do what we can to make the world a better place, even if we do not live to see the fruits of our labors. Of course, all that is the background message. The main thing I want is children to take away is—wow, this is a cool story.
Thank you, Richard!
RICHARD MICHELSON’s many books for children, teens, and adults, have been named among the 10 Best of the Year by The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and The New Yorker.; and among the Best Dozen of the Decade by Amazon. Michelson has received a National Jewish Book Award (and twice been a finalist), two Sydney Taylor Gold Medals (and two silver) from the Association of Jewish Libraries, two Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowships, and his work was chosen to represent the Commonwealth at the Library of Congress National Book Festival. A native of East New York, Brooklyn, Michelson served two terms as Poet Laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts, where he hosts Northampton Poetry Radio, and owns R. Michelson Galleries.