WASHINGTON (JTA) – In the middle of her first speech as Joe Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris disclosed her favorite nickname.
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“My family means everything to me. And I’ve had a lot of titles over my career, and certainly, vice president will be great, but ‘momala’ will always be the one that means the most,” she said Thursday in Wilmington, Delaware.
Harris’ two step-children deserve the credit for that mashup of “mom” and “Kamala,” CNN reported last year.
Despite the fact that their father — Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff — is Jewish, it’s unclear if they realized their nickname for their stepmom is the exact pronunciation of an endearing Yiddish word: “mamele.”
Regardless of the intent behind it, the nickname symbolizes how close Harris is with her husband and stepkids. If Harris is elected vice president, Emhoff would become the country’s first Jewish presidential or vice presidential spouse.
Their courtship story began in 2013, when Harris’ friend Chrisette Hudlin set them up on a blind date. Harris, now 55, was then California’s attorney general. Hudlin was a public relations consultant, and Emhoff was (as he still is) an entertainment lawyer. He was also divorced with two kids from a previous marriage.
In Harris’ memoir, “The Truth We Hold,” she said Emhoff sent this awkward text before they met up: “Hey! It’s Doug. Just saying hi! I’m at the Lakers game.”
“Then I punctuated it with my own bit of awkwardness — ‘Go Lakers!’— even though I’m really a Warriors fan,” Harris wrote.
Then, the morning after their first date, Emhoff got candid.
“I’m too old to play games or hide the ball,” he said in an email to Harris. “I really like you, and I want to see if we can make this work.”
The two were married by 2014. The wedding incorporated Jewish and Indian traditions (Harris’ father is Jamaican and her mother was Indian) — Emhoff broke a glass, and Harris gave him a traditional Indian garland to wear.
Since then, both Harris and Emhoff have gotten sappy about each other on social media.
Emhoff has been known to gush about Harris’ cooking.
But the best quotes that Harris has given about their relationship involve Emhoff’s parents, who lived in Brooklyn and New Jersey before moving to California.
In a January 2019 talk at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Harris describes meeting her in-laws for the first time. When her interviewer asks if Emhoff’s parents still live in New Jersey, Harris says “They are in California now, but New Jersey is very much in them.”
As Harris recalls, Emhoff’s mother Barbara put Harris’ face in her hands and said: “Oh, look at you! You’re prettier than you are on television!”
Barbara then called for her husband: “Mike, look at her!”
Oh wow .
JTA Yiddles going all shmaltzy and ticklish now.
Yiddish nickname, yiddish husband ,
So much nachas kaneinehorah and who’s even talking about Passover Manishewitz matzohs with kosher pickles.
Ooooooh… How qvelling !!
She’s in our Hava Nagilah Gesselschafft now.
Let’s invite Mamele to our annual Ladies Auxillary banquet so our yentas can ogle and take selfies and autographs.
We’ll bring our Yiidishe Mama’s homebaked lemon babka for her to taste..
You big Dem donors:
Shell out a $1,000,000 and she’ll grace your Jordana’s Bat Mitzvah with laughter ..
“As Harris recalls, Emhoff’s mother Barbara put Harris’ face in her hands and said: “Oh, look at you! You’re prettier than you are on television!”
Oh boy, now you went ahead and made the President jealous, and you know how he behaves when that happens…
Possible she doesn’t hate jews…. so what why does that make you qualified to lead?
Mr Doug is very active in palestinian causes
Trump is actively trying to subvert American democracy and sabotage the Postal Service and surpress the vote. Are these evils Jewish values?
Mr. Doug is a successful person in every way and active in Yiddishkeit and Jewish causes. His marriage to Kamala Harris is no one’s business.
America doesn’t need any major politician to be Jewish. She’s just trying to get the yiddish votes. But Yidden are smarter and the will not vote for a SOCIALIST/ COMMUNIST party – NEVER AGAIN !!!!!
FYI – there are only TWO parties in this election the REPUBLICAN and the SOCIALIST – the DemocRATS are gone…………………………….
so there’s really no choice for America but to VOTE FOR TRUMP TO CONTINUE HIS ACHIEVEMENTS ANOTHER FOUR MORE YEARS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This article seems very silly.
There is nothing Jewish in her she is evil in her heart, trump is more Jewish than her… maga 2020
Someone said that Yassir Arafat y”sh enjoyed eating bagels and lox. I guess that defines loving Jews. Actually it’s rather self-serving, and a bit narcissistic. Here come the shrinks.
He is a JINO. Jewish in name only. He cares about Jews like a pig on a farm. He’s intermarried and I’m sure his shiksa wife does not maintain a kosher kitchen.
So this Emhoff Jew is married to a shiktza. Every time they are together, Mr. Emhoff gets a separate sin. Intermarriage is a toaiva and one of the worst sins a Jew can do. God hates such a sin. Why is this website trying to make some cutesy story out of this terrible chillul hashem?!
She, like Biden, is part of the problem with the criminal justice system.
She didn’t hate Jews but she is married to a self hating Jew that went for a shiksa after his first marriage with a yid and they’re is the squad thing. Did she go to the last aipac conference? Last time i checked all of them ditch it to be woke and pander to the bds gang squad
Karl Marx and Leon Trotsky were Jewish. So is Noam Chomsky. Being Jewish or being married to a jew is meaningless.
EMHOFF FOREVER !!!!!!!……. TRUMP FOREVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why are we kvelling over her Yiddish nickname? Why do Jews fall over each other looking for the Jewish element in this intermarriage? Her policies are what count, and she should be judged on the basis of those policies and nothing else. There is nothing Jewish about her intermarriage. It is another notch in the belt of assimilation that is devouring American Jewry
Ivanka can Jared can convince her to be megayer. We could cover all bases that way.
Ezra F.: “Mr Doug is very active in palestinian causes.” Do you think it helps your cause if you tell a baldfaced lie? State any source which shows that Douglas Emhoff is “very active in Palestinian causes.”
Yep she really loves Jews. So much so, that she helps cut off her husbands lineage by marrying him, ensuring his children aren’t jewish.
Really loves the Jews. Since when is helping Jews disappear into oblivion loving the jews?
Trump has an actual jewish daughter and grandchildren, yet he is called the antisemite.
What next? we will have a dictator annihilating Jews, to protect them from assimilation, by murdering them, and will be lauded as a hero for jews.
I have some Yiddish names for her and mamelle isn’t one of them.
Why are we promoting intermarriage on a Jewish website?
If she converts she’ll see the true light and vote for TRUMP 2020 !!! If she doesn’t convert , then she’s a shiktsa .
I think she should join the yiddish theater . She’ll have a better career there than as president .
The nasty comments on this blog are disturbing…….is this a characteristic of a frum Jew? Avrohom Avinu prayed for Sedom and yet we are judging who is evil, who is a true Jew etc? I think we all have a lot of work to do in Elul.
Im.ayn TORAH.ayn.CHUCHMAH.
Yiddin have Yiddishkeit with unconditional Love and with Respect for our Self and for each other.
Kindness Truth and Justice are our three legged foundation.
We are united as children of one G-d.
Without education we are ignorant and should be humble and remain silent .
Silence is Golden.
Signed …. A humble student of Life.
I have a dog his name is Pup-ik so he must be jewish
Harris as in heres is in Hebrew to destroy. If one attempts to destroy his/her yeitzer hara then it’s a good name and a good sign for the peple they serve.
Feh! Why should we care? Are we cardiac Jews who’s hearts jump out of our chest with anything Jew ‘ish?’
My nickname for her is SHIKSALA!