Biden on Tuesday issued a call to fight a “ferocious surge” of antisemitism, saying such hate has no place in America as he connected the horrors of the Holocaust to Hamas’ attack on Israel.


Biden’s speech was a somber – yet impassioned – moment of reflection amid a tense and pivotal time in his reelection push.


The October 7 attack and the subsequent war in Gaza has proved to be one of the most politically fraught periods of Biden’s presidency, one that is particularly personal for the longtime supporter of Israel who views antisemitism as antithetical to American values.


 “We must give hate no safe harbor against anyone,” Biden said.


 During his keynote address at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the US Capitol, Biden sought to draw direct links between the horrors experienced by Jews under the Nazi regime to what happened in Israel last year and rising antisemitism after Hamas’ attack.



 “This ancient hatred of Jews didn’t begin with the Holocaust – it didn’t end with the Holocaust, either, or even after our victory in World War II. This hatred continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people in the world and requires our continued vigilance and outspokenness,” Biden said.


 He continued, “Now, here we are – not 75 years later, but just seven and a half months later – and people are already forgetting. They’re already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror. … I have not forgotten, nor have you, and we will not forget.”


 Biden pointed to a “ferocious surge” of antisemitism in the US in the aftermath of October 7, from propaganda on social media to Jewish students being harassed or attacked on campus.


 “Too many people denying, downplaying, rationalizing and ignoring the horrors of the Holocaust and October 7 – including Hamas’ appalling use of sexual violence to torture and terrorize. It’s absolutely despicable – and it must stop,” he said, raising his voice.


He spoke out forcefully against intensifying antisemitism and Islamophobia in the days after Hamas’ attacks on Israel, saying in an October 19 Oval Office address that Americans “can’t stand by and stand silent.” Yet in the seven months since the war began, Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents have significantly increased.

Last edited by Spunky (5/07/2024 8:20 pm)