While delivering a speech in remembrance of the Holocaust’s six million Jewish victims, President Joe Biden implored Americans to “never forget” the atrocities that Hamas committed against Israel on October 7 and denounced the rise of antisemitism on college campuses across the U.S.
“Never again, simply translated for me means never forget,” Biden told his audience on Tuesday at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. “We must keep telling the story. We must keep teaching the truth. We must keep teaching our children and our grandchildren. The truth is we’re at risk of people not knowing the truth.”
“Here we are, not 75 years later, but just 7 ½ months later, and people are already forgetting. They’re already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror,” he said of Hamas’s October 7 attack that left about 1,200 Israelis dead. “I have not forgotten, nor have you. And we will not forget.”
The president’s latest statement of support for Israel and Jews comes days after he condemned the antisemitism and other forms of hatred seen in anti-Israel protests on college campuses in recent weeks. Biden directly addressed the campus protests on Thursday, saying protesters have a “right to protest, but not a right to cause chaos” under the law. Before that, he largely delegated his spokespeople to comment on the matter.
In his Tuesday speech, he called again for peaceful protests and stated that destruction of campus property is unacceptable.
“It’s against the law, and we’re not a lawless country. We’re a civil society. We uphold the rule of law, and no one should have to hide or be brave just to be themselves,” he said, referring to Jews targeted by pro-Palestinian sympathizers.
Earlier Tuesday, the White House announced new action steps to combat antisemitism on college campuses and in the nation at large.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to every school district and college across the U.S., outlining examples of antisemitism and other forms of hate that could lead to federal civil-rights investigations.
The Department of Homeland Security will help promote campus safety and address threats against targeted communities such as Jews. Additionally, the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism will work with tech companies to identify practices for addressing antisemitic content online.
The new actions add onto the Biden administration’s May 2023 strategy for countering antisemitism, a plan that includes over 100 actions that have been taken to date and over 100 calls to action for Congress, state and local governments, tech platforms, and other companies and leaders in American society.
On top of denouncing Hamas, Biden said on Tuesday that the U.S. is “working around the clock” to free the remaining 100 hostages from the terror group’s custody in Gaza. He added his administration “will not rest” until all hostages are brought home.
The president was joined by House speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.), both of whom gave impassioned speeches about U.S. support for Israel and the rise of antisemitism.
“We must protect our Jewish students, and we must give our full-throated, unequivocal support to the nation of Israel,” Johnson said. “And we must all of us together, call out antisemitism and all of its forms without equivocation and without delay. This is our moment.”
“The effort to combat antisemitism is not a Democratic issue or Republican issue. It’s an American issue. We must crush antisemitism, along with racism, sexism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia, and all other forms of hatred together. That’s the American way,” Jeffries said. “Together, we will defeat antisemitism with the fierce urgency of now. That’s a moral necessity.”