Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel hosted Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Meir Chai and Rivka Benhiyoun and two of their children for a pre-Chanukah meeting in the Jewish politician’s official chambers.

Emanuel, the city’s first Jewish mayor, was unable to participate in the annual Chanukah menorah lighting ceremony at Daley Plaza Tuesday night, and took advantage of the meeting with the directors of Chabad of Downtown Chicago to catch up.

When the rabbi, who has been in the Windy City since 1987, asked the former White House Chief of Staff about the challenges of his new job, Emanuel told him that he saw “challenges as an opportunity to learn something new.”

The visit, which was described by the rabbi as “a very warm and friendly encounter,” marked the second time that his youngest child, Levi Yitzchak Benhiyoun, met Emanuel. Two years ago, he won a national contest to recite a personal essay at the national Chanukah menorah lighting ceremony in front of the White House. After the ceremony, he and Emanuel posed together for a picture.