Why Jared and Ivanka's Anonymously Granted Shabbat Exemption During the Inauguration Is Problematic
Is Ivanka’s Shabbos observance anyone’s business? I think it is. Because it isn’t about Shabbos at all, it’s about Ivanka and Jared, who were given the green light from an anonymous rabbinical authority to use a car during President Trump’s inauguration.
What they did about Shabbos gives us a clue to how they think. This matters to the whole country because it may presage the way they counsel governance. They are, in effect, saying, “Trust us. Shabbos/the country is very important to us. We know what we are doing. We are good people, we are good Jews. Trust us. We got a dispensation, but no one will know from whom.”