May 7, 2024 — Washington, DC
American Jewish Committee (AJC) thanks President Biden for his resolute commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting Jewish communities, highlighted in remarks delivered today at a Holocaust Remembrance Event at the U.S. Capitol seven months after Hamas carried out the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust and in the wake of yesterday’s remembrance of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day).
"Every protester on college campuses perpetuating false narratives about Israel and threatening Jewish students should watch President Biden's speech,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “The President put into words what so many Jews are experiencing around the world, especially Jewish college students. I commend President Biden for not only standing up against rising antisemitism in word but for reminding the world of the realities of the Holocaust and October 7.”
During his remarks, President Biden called attention to the disturbing parallels between October 7 denial and Holocaust denial and the impact this has on Jews here in the United States and around the world. The October 7 terrorist attack against Israel by Hamas, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and hundreds more taken hostage in Gaza, was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Yet, as President Biden said, “[t]oo many people [are] denying, downplaying, rationalizing, ignoring the horrors of the Holocaust and October 7 – including Hamas’ appalling use of sexual violence to torture and terrorize Jews. It's absolutely despicable, and it must stop.”
“To deny atrocities against Jews is to relieve the perpetrators of responsibility; it is rhetoric like this that fuels the rising antisemitism here at home and around the world,” said Deutch. “This surge of antisemitism in the U.S. is an urgent threat to Jews and all Americans.”
AJC also welcomes the Biden Administration’s announcement today of additional actions building on The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, including new Department of Education guidance for all school districts and colleges on antisemitic discrimination, the creation of an online campus safety resources guide from the Department of Homeland Security, and State Department outreach to technology companies to discuss best practices to combat antisemitism on their platforms.
AJC will continue to support and advocate for students at all levels of education and engage with school and university administrators as this urgent fight against antisemitism on campus requires deep and ongoing collaboration between the Jewish community, the White House, the Department of Education, and educational institutions.
“AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report found that more than 1 in 5 American Jews who experienced antisemitism online (22%) reported that the online incident(s) made them feel physically threatened and that 62% of American Jews reported seeing or hearing antisemitism online or on social media in the past 12 months. We have been working with technology companies to help identify and reduce antisemitism on their platforms and welcome the Special Envoy’s expertise and guidance as we work to make these online public squares free from harassment,” said Deutch.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org
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