President Joe Biden hosted a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday night, vowing to continue to stand with Israel in its war with Hamas while saying that a “surge of antisemitism” around the globe “is sickening.”
Quick Read
- Hanukkah Reception at the White House: President Joe Biden hosted a Hanukkah reception at the White House, attended by nearly 800 guests, including Holocaust survivors, members of Congress, and Jewish community leaders. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, participated in the menorah lighting.
- Biden’s Support for Israel: During the event, President Biden reaffirmed his support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, emphasizing the U.S. stance against the surge of antisemitism globally.
- Menorah Lighting: A menorah, partially made from White House timbers, was lit as part of the celebration. Rabbi Angela Buchdahl led the ceremony and commended Biden’s consistent support for Israel.
- Addressing the Gaza Conflict: Rabbi Buchdahl spoke about the darkness brought by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which began with Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7. She highlighted the tragic consequences of the war.
- Biden’s Comments: President Biden stressed his commitment to Israel, stating, “Were there no Israel, there would not be a Jew in the world who is safe.” He discussed the U.S.’s continued military assistance to Israel and the importance of public opinion in this context.
- National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism: The Biden administration’s efforts to combat rising antisemitism were mentioned, a strategy announced in May.
- Protests Outside the White House: Concurrently, a protest was staged outside the White House, where women identifying as “Jewish elders” chained themselves to the fence, condemning Biden’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
- U.S. Park Police Response: The U.S. Park Police issued citations to 18 protesters and then released them.
- Biden on Antisemitism: Addressing the concerns of American Jews, President Biden condemned the surge of antisemitism in the U.S. and globally, acknowledging the fear and hurt in the Jewish community.
- University of Pennsylvania President’s Resignation: The recent resignation of Liz Magill, President of the University of Pennsylvania, over her congressional hearing testimony was noted, though the White House spokesman Andrew Bates did not comment directly on her decision.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden at WH Hanukkah reception: ‘Surge in Antisemitism is Sickening’
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP)
President Joe Biden hosted a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday night, vowing to continue to stand with Israel in its war with Hamas while saying that a “surge of antisemitism” around the globe “is sickening.”
Nearly 800 guests filled the East Room to almost overflowing. The crowd included Holocaust survivors, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and around two dozen members of Congress. Also present were Jewish community leaders and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who was among those who lit a menorah partially made from the original timbers of the White House.
The husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, Emhoff is the first Jewish person to be the spouse of one of the country’s nationally elected leaders. Last week he presided over the lighting ceremony of a massive menorah in front of the White House.
A menorah is lit nightly during the eight-day Jewish festival, which this year is being celebrated from Dec. 7 until Friday. Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Central Synagogue in New York City led Monday’s ceremony, telling the president: “You’ve been a steadfast supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself. A trusted and true friend to the Jewish people.”
Buchdahl talked about the darkness of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which triggered war with Israel. But she said that since, “Its only gotten darker, with many around the world justifying terrorism, normalizing antisemitism, with the pain of so many lives lost — Israeli and Palestinian — in this just but tragic war.”
She also drew sustained applause when she called Biden “a beacon of strength.”
The president told the crowd, “You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.” He said that while he doesn’t always agree with Israel’s leaders and governmental policies, “Were there no Israel, there would not be a Jew in the world who is safe.”
“We continue to provide military assistance until they get rid of Hamas but we have to be careful,” Biden said of U.S. support for the war. He added: “The whole world, public opinion can shift overnight. We can’t let that happen.”
The Biden administration in May announced what it called the first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism. Still, antisemitism has only intensified in some quarters as criticism rises over the mounting Palestinian death toll. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
Biden said of hostages being held by Hamas, which U.S. authorities have been working for months to help free, “We’re not going to stop until we get every one of them home.” The crowd also cheered when he talked of his administration’s efforts to increase humanitarian aid flowing to civilians in Gaza caught in the fighting.
Others, though, have decried Biden’s stance on the war. Earlier Monday, protesters gathered outside the White House as nearly 20 women describing themselves as “Jewish elders” chained themselves to the fence around the grounds. Wearing black T-shirts reading “Not In Our Name,” they chanted: “Biden, Biden, pick a side! Cease-fire not genocide!” while reading the names of those killed in Gaza.
Authorities took the women away after using a bolt cutter to cut the chains that had encircled the protesters’ waists. Organizers said they deliberately picked the day of the White House’s Hanukkah celebration to protest.
“We, as elder Jews, we know what genocide looks like. We know what genocide feels like. It’s in our bodies, in our bones,” said Esther Farmer of Jewish Voice for Peace, which organized the demonstration. “It’s horrifying, it’s devastating. Sometimes, it’s hard to get up in the morning to see this, and it’s being done in the name of Jews. So we are here — as elderly Jews — to say, not in our name.”
The U.S. Park Police said they issued 18 citations to the protesters and released them from custody.
Biden at the reception said he recognized American Jews “hurt” and “fear for your safety” because “the surge of antisemitism in the United States and around the world is sickening.”
“We see it in our communities and in schools and colleges and social media,” the president said, adding that such instances “surface painful scars.”
On Saturday, Liz Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania, resigned following pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say under repeated questioning that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. Universities across the U.S. have been accused of failing to protect Jewish students amid the fallout from the war in Gaza.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates declined to comment Monday on Magill’s decision to resign. Presidents Claudine Gay of Harvard and Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who appeared alongside Magill, have also faced criticism. Gay has apologized for her remarks.
Bates noted that Magill issued a statement withdrawing her remarks. “That was the right thing to do,” he said.
