The VP residence has seen a lot of Jewish firsts these past four years. The first mezuzah hung at its door, the first Hanukkah, the first seder. And this week, Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff planted a pomegranate tree dedicated to the 1200 victims of the October 7. It might not be the first tree planted at the VP residence, but there is a really special Jewish significance to pomegranates that makes this moment feel historical and important.
“For years to come, this tree will remind us all not only of the horrors of October 7 but the strength and endurance of the Jewish people,” Harris shared on her social media.
Before the planting, Harris quoted Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel who said that “religion begins with a consciousness that something is asked of us,” and wondered, “in this moment what is asked of us?”
“I will never forget October 7, and the world must never forget,” she went on, saying we “must work to ensure nothing like the horrors of October 7 can happen again,” restating her pledge always to work to ensure the safety and security of Jewish people here and around the world.
Harris said that we are asked to do everything we can for the release of the hostages, especially the American citizens, dead and alive, still held by Hamas. Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Omer Neutra and Keith Siegel, still believed to be alive, and Itay Chen, Gadi Haggai and Judith Weinstein Haggai, whose bodies are being held captive.
Harris stressed that the pomegranate in Judaism is “a symbol of hope and righteousness,” and that it will remind her to never “abandon the goal of peace, dignity and security for all.”
Pomegranates symbolize even more than that. They are one of the seven species of Israel, they symbolize love and fertility, they often are featured in Judaica and Torah scrolls, they’re a part of the Rosh Hashanah dinner and traditions for many and they’re associate with the Jewish commandments — “the fruit is often said to have 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 mitzvot,” according to My Jewish Learning. It makes the fruit a moving choice to honor the memory of all these Jewish souls.
