WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is expected to issue a strong condemnation of anti-Semitism during a ceremony on Tuesday to remember the victims of the Holocaust, at a time when the Hamas attack on Israel and controversy over the war in Gaza have sparked new waves of violence and hateful rhetoric against Jews.
Biden’s comments at the Capitol will result in pro-Palestinian protests — some of which have involved anti-Semitic chants and threats to Jewish students and Israel supporters — rocking college campuses across the country.
Biden has struggled to balance his support for Israel following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 — the deadliest day for Jews worldwide since the Holocaust — with his efforts to curtail the war against the militant group in Gaza.
“We can expect the president to make it clear that during these holy days of remembrance, we honor the memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday. “And we reaffirm our commitment to following the lessons of this dark chapter. Never.”
Jean-Pierre said Biden would talk about the “horrors” of the Hamas attack and how anti-Semitism is rising globally and at home.
“And he will talk about how, since October 7th, we have seen an alarming rise in anti-Semitism in the US and in our cities, in our communities and on our campuses,” she added.
Biden was expected to avoid the upcoming presidential election in his speech. But his speech comes as former President Donald Trump criticizes the current president for not doing more to combat anti-Semitism — while ignoring his long history of rhetoric that invokes the language of Nazi Germany and plays on Jewish stereotypes. in politics.
The Capitol event, hosted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, will also feature remarks from House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The campus protests posed a political challenge for Biden, whose coalition has historically relied on younger voters, many of whom are critical of his public support for Israel.
Jean-Pierre said Biden would “reaffirm” the right to freedom of expression. “But there is no place on any campus or anywhere for anti-Semitism,” she added. “There is no place for hate speech or threats of violence against the Jewish people.”
In conjunction with Biden’s speech, his administration announced new measures to combat anti-Semitism on college campuses and beyond. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights was sending every school district and college in the country a letter outlining examples of anti-Semitism and other types of hate that could lead to federal civil rights investigations.
The Department of Homeland Security was taking action to educate schools and community groups about the resources and funding available to promote campus security and address threats. And the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism was meeting with technology companies about how to combat the rise in online hate conflicts.
On Monday, Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris and the first Jewish spouse of a nationally elected American leader, met with Jewish college students at the White House about the administration’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism. He heard students describe their own experiences with hate, including threats of violence and hate speech, his office said.
The Trump campaign on Monday released a video on Yom Hashoah, the day of remembrance for the Holocaust in Israel, that aimed to contrast the 2024 presidential candidates’ responses on anti-Semitism.
The video shows footage of Trump visiting Israel and speeches he has given pledging to support the Jewish people and confront anti-Semitism, while showing footage of campus protests and clips of Biden responding to protesters upset about his administration’s support for Israel in the war against Hamas. .
One of the clips shows Biden saying, “They’re right,” but does not include the following sentence in which Biden said, “We need a lot more care in Gaza.”
Biden campaign spokesman James Singer said in response that “President Biden stands against anti-Semitism and is committed to the safety of the Jewish community and the security of Israel – Donald Trump is not.”
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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.
