WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, at a White House Hanukkah reception on Monday, said he understood the concerns of Jewish Americans amid rising antisemitism, and that his administration would stand with them.
“I recognize your fear, your hurt, your worry that this violent venom is becoming too normal,” Biden said.
“Silence is complicity. We must not remain silent. And I made no bones about it from the very beginning: I will not be silent. America will not be silent. I mean it,” said Biden.
“Today we must all say clearly and forcefully, antisemitism and all forms of hate and violence in this country, have no safe harbor in America. Period,” he added. “Evil will not win. Hate will not prevail.”
This year’s celebration of Judaism’s festival of lights has been darkened by a wave of antisemitic episodes that have rattled the Jewish community.
Prominent Americans, including Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, and former President Donald Trump, have spread antisemitic rhetoric, met with white nationalists or both.
Anti-Jewish incidents in the U.S. reached an all-time high last year, with 2,717 examples of assault, harassment or vandalism being reported to the Anti-Defamation League. The group’s preliminary data show the numbers will be similar this year.
Biden on Monday cited efforts his administration is taking to combat antisemitism, including securing federal funding for the physical security of non-profit organizations, including synagogues and Jewish community centers, and the appointment of Deborah Lipstadt as the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.
The White House last week announced the creation of an inter-agency group responsible for coordinating U.S. efforts to combat antisemitism and other forms of hatred.
The new group was the product of a roundtable meeting second gentleman Doug Emhoff held earlier this month with Jewish leaders. Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president, has become the Biden administration’s most outspoken figure against the rise in antisemitism.
The president and first lady Jill Biden also marked a new tradition at the reception, the first-ever permanent White House menorah, which was created by the White House carpentry shop using wood from the building. It will be the first Jewish artifact added to the White House archives, Biden said.
