NC’s first Jewish governor reflects on Hanukkah at mansion, in wake of tragedy
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Stein lit the Executive Mansion menorah as North Carolina’s first Jewish governor.
- Stein added senior advisors Doug Warf for business and Torre Jessup for digital.
- Stein warned of rising antisemitism in NC, citing a reported tenfold increase.
As North Carolina’s first Jewish governor, lighting the menorah on the first night of Hanukkah in the Executive Mansion had a deep significance to Gov. Josh Stein. It also comes at a time of increasing concern about antisemitism.
Good morning and welcome to the Under the Dome politics newsletter. I’m Dawn Vaughan, The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief.
“It was a very nice, moving ceremony, lighting the menorah on the first night of Hanukkah, with a lot of folks who were excited about that,” Stein told me during a sit-down interview at the mansion this past week.
You can listen to our full interview on the Under the Dome podcast on Jan. 6, and I’ll have more coverage to come from that interview.
Sunday is the eighth night of Hanukkah, which ends Monday. I asked Stein about the deadly attack in Australia during a Hanukkah celebration, and if he has concerns about antisemitism and his own security.
“Antisemitism is on the rise,” he said.
“I had a meeting with a group of rabbis on the first day of Hanukkah, before we lit the candles, and they documented the number” of antisemitic incidents, he said, “and it’s been exponential, like a 10-fold increase in the last two years just here in North Carolina, of reported incidences,” he said.
“And then, of course, the absolutely heartbreaking tragedy in Australia, where Jews were killed because they were Jews — devastating.”
Stein on ‘all forms of hate’ and recognizing ‘we are all children of God’
Stein went on to say that “we have to take the issue of antisemitism real. There’s all forms of hate. There’s Islamophobia. People hate people just because they’re Muslim. People hate gay people because they’re gay. They hate Latinos because they speak a different language — there’s a lot of hate out in the world, sadly.”
“What we have to do as human beings is recognize that we are all children of God, every one of us, and just because somebody is different than us in one way or another, doesn’t mean that they are any less worthy or any less entitled to the fullness of the opportunity of being an American. And so we have to speak up and say that loudly,” Stein said.
Stein said he doesn’t have concerns about his own safety “day to day.”
“It doesn’t impact the way I look at my job. I’m very grateful for the security detail that I have. They’re very professional, very hardworking. They work all kinds of crazy hours, and so I have confidence that they’re going to do everything in their power to keep me and keep Anna safe,” he said.
New Stein staffers from Carolina Hurricanes, DIT
The governor added two new people to his staff this past week:
- Doug Warf, senior adviser for business engagement
- Torre Jessup, senior adviser for digital experience
Warf resigned abruptly in October from being president of the Carolina Hurricanes NHL team, sports reporter Chip Alexander previously reported. In his new job with the governor’s office, Warf will be tasked with working with the business community and the Department of Commerce. This won’t be the first time he’s worked with those close to politicians. At the Hurricanes, Warf worked with Canes CEO Brian Fork, whose job before that was chief of staff to Republican Senate leader Phil Berger.
Jessup’s new job is a continuation of his work in state government. He’ll work with the N.C. Department of Information Technology to develop a new digital platform for the public to use to access state services. Jessup has been chief deputy state chief information officer at DIT.
Listen to our Under the Dome podcast
Coming up on our Under the Dome podcast posting Tuesday, I talk with reporters Kyle Ingram and Danielle Battaglia about the major North Carolina politics stories of 2025 and how they’ll shape 2026. That includes Lumbee tribe recognition, the budget stalemate and tax battle to come, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis not seeking reelection and more.
Coverage of former Gov. Jim Hunt’s death
- Former NC Gov. Jim Hunt, a longtime, dominant figure in state politics, has died
- Two NC governors, two parties and ‘mutual respect’: Jim Martin on the late Jim Hunt
- Stein, Cooper praise late Gov. Jim Hunt as ‘visionary,’ ‘greatest’ in NC history
- The NC campaign for the ages that altered Gov. Jim Hunt’s presidential prospects
Thanks for reading. I wish you all Happy Holidays! Reach me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com or the entire politics team at dome@newsoberver.com.
