President Joe Biden strongly denounced antisemitism during a speech at the Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Days of Remembrance ceremony at the Capitol.
“We know hate never goes away,” Biden said. “It only hides. And given little oxygen, it comes out from under the rocks. We also know what stops hate. One thing: all of us.”
Biden uttered the terms “antisemitism” or “antisemitic” half a dozen times, while avoiding the word “Islamophobia,” which he had used in the past, leading some Republicans to accuse him of equivocation.
The president specifically mentioned the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, calling it the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust and lamenting that people had already forgotten the day’s impact.
“We are not 75 years later but just seven-and-a-half months later, ” Biden said. “People are already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror. That it was Hamas that brutalized Israelis. It was Hamas that took and continues to hold hostages. I have not forgotten, nor have you. And we will not forget.”
On Wednesday, the Holocaust Memorial Museum held its annual Days of Remembrance ceremony, during which Biden repeated his calls to curtail violent protests at college campuses against Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza.
“I understand people have strong beliefs and deep convictions about the world,” he said. “In America, we respect and protect the fundamental right to free speech, to debate and disagree, to protest peacefully and make our voices heard. I understand. That’s America. But there is no place on any campus in America, any place in America, for antisemitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind.”
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He also stressed that scapegoating and demonizing any minority is a threat to every minority and to the foundation of democracy.
“To the Jewish community, I want you to know — I see your fear, your hurt, your pain,” Biden said. “Let me reassure you, as your president, you’re not alone. You belong. You always have and you always will. My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent jury seat is ironclad. Even when we disagree.”
