President Biden, who will deliver a keynote speech Tuesday at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, will use the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel to deepen concerns about anti-Semitism in the United States and abroad.
Biden’s speech on Capitol Hill came amid weeks of protests on U.S. college campuses over Israel’s war in Gaza, with students demanding that the Biden administration stop providing weapons to Israel. In some cases, the demonstrations included anti-Semitic remarks and harassment of Jewish students.
“You can expect the president to make it clear that on these sacred remembrance days we remember the six million Jews who lost their lives in the Holocaust and renew our commitment to learning the lessons of this dark chapter. Never again,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.
“He will recount the horrors of October 7, when Hamas brought its deadliest day to the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and how since October 7 we have seen alarming levels of anti-Semitism in the United States. Rise up, in our cities, our communities and our campuses.
The speech came at a critical time for Mr. Biden, who has struggled to balance support for Israel’s war against Hamas with anger over civilian casualties in Gaza. Jewish groups have been pressuring the government to take firmer action to combat anti-Semitism.
On Tuesday, the government will issue new guidance from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to every school and college across the country, outlining examples of anti-Semitic discrimination and other forms of hatred that could lead to investigations into civil rights violations. The landmark legislation prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin, which the department interpreted as applying to Jewish students.
Since the Oct. 7 attack, the department has opened more than 100 Title VI investigations into complaints of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination.
Biden has faced fierce criticism for months, even from his own party, for his support of Israel. Some protesters called him “Genocide Joe.”
Ms Jean-Pierre said that in his speech on Tuesday, Mr Biden would also reaffirm the government’s commitment to “respect and protect the fundamental right to free speech” but stressed that “there is no place on any campus or anywhere for the sake of anti- Judaism.
The protests led to police raids and arrests on multiple campuses and spread into the start of graduation season.
Biden has walked a tightrope in responding to campus protests, condemning violence and harassment while also trying to acknowledge anger over conditions in Gaza. Health officials there said the death toll had surpassed 34,000 Palestinians, and humanitarian agencies warned the besieged enclave was on the brink of famine.
“There is a right to protest, but there is no right to cause chaos,” Biden said last week in his first in-depth comments about campus demonstrations. “People have the right to get an education, the right to get a degree, the right to walk across campus safely without fear of being attacked.” Anti-Semitism “has no place” in the United States, he added.
Jean-Pierre said Monday that Biden understands this is an “extremely painful moment” and respects Americans’ right to protest, but reiterated his position that vandalism, trespassing and forced cancellations of graduation ceremonies are not Be applicable.
“The president understands the importance of this moment,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.
