Holiday Greetings That Were - and Weren't

On the Eve of the Holiday, Farah Anwar Pandith, Special Representative to Muslim Communities, greeted on September 7, 2010, 75 young American Muslim change makers who came to the State Department's Ben Franklin room with a Ramadan Mubarak! and Farah continued:

Tonight we gather in this beautiful and historic room to break the fast together and we come together as a community of people interested in the power of partnerships. Partnerships that can make change happen...Our embassies are deepening our relationships with communities and widening our reach so that we can harness the innovation and energy that exists to work together for the common good, both with Muslims in Muslim-majority nations and in nations where Muslim live as minorities.

...As we come together tonight for iftar during one of the last nights of Ramadan – during which many believe Laylatul Qadr may fall -- we have gathered in this room a community of like minded doers… People who share the vision of the President and the Secretary of State to build stronger communities through partnership and respect for diversity.

Three days later, on September 10, Hillary Clinton herself spoke the following remarks on the occasion of the Eid Al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan:

Eid Mubarak! Since my husband, Bill Clinton, and I held the first Eid celebration at the White House in 1996, I have enjoyed marking Eid every year. I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones...Under President Obama’s leadership, the United States is working to create new partnerships with Muslim communities. We want to build bridges, not only bridges toward peace in the Middle East, but bridges of understanding. We believe we all can work toward a more peaceful and prosperous future, one based on mutual respect and cooperation.

...At this time of peace and celebration, I wish you and your family a joyful Eid, and a very happy year ahead.

There was another holiday at this time - Rosh Hashana. Two days.

I checked Hillary's site.

Nada.

We don't count.

It's an official holiday in Israel.

President Obama did relate to our holiday:-

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the spiritual calendar and the birth of the world. It serves as a reminder of the special relationship between God and his children, now and always. And it calls us to look within ourselves – to repent for our sins; recommit ourselves to prayer; and remember the blessings that come from helping those in need.

Today, those lessons ring as true as they did thousands of years ago. And as we begin this New Year, it is more important than ever to believe in the power of humility and compassion to deepen our faith and repair our world.

...And at a time when Israelis and Palestinians have returned to direct dialogue, it is up to us to encourage and support those who are willing to move beyond their differences and work towards security and peace in the Holy Land. Progress will not come easy, it will not come quick. But today we had an opportunity to move forward, toward the goal we share—two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.

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