Biden Condemns Antisemitism on College Campuses

Too many Americans are ignoring and downplaying the horrors of the Holocaust, President Joe Biden said in a speech on Tuesday, as he called for "continued vigilance and outspokenness" against a rising tide of antisemitism, particularly on U.S. college campuses.

"There is no place on any campus in America, any place in America, for antisemitism or hate speech or threats to violence of any kind, whether against Jews or anyone else" Biden said during his keynote address at the Holocaust Memorial Museum's Days of Remembrance ceremony at the Capitol.

"Violent attacks and destroying property is not peaceful protest. It's against the law...No one should have to hide or be afraid just to be themselves."

Days of Remembrance was first held in 1979, and Congress later mandated the national Holocaust commemoration. This year's observation will last through Sunday, May 12.

"At this time of alarming antisemitism and Holocaust denial, remembering the history and lessons of the Holocaust is crucial," Stuart Eizenstat, the museum's chairman, said prior to introducing the president.

Eizenstat questioned what Holocaust survivors would think about witnessing the rise of harassment and threats on college campuses.

Six candles were lit during the ceremony in memory of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. The annual observance also honors the American troops that fought in World War II, and invites Holocaust victims to share their family stories.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also participated in the ceremony.

"Memories teach us democracy is fragile," Speaker Johnson said. "We have to remember that. We are all capable to falling prey our worst impulses."

On Oct. 7, Hamas militants attacked Israel in a surprise siege, killing 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage in the largest loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust, as Jeffries reminded the audience at the ceremony on Tuesday.

Israeli officials believe that more than 130 people remain in captivity in Gaza, but it is difficult to know exact numbers.

"People are already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror," Biden said. "I have not forgotten, nor have you, and we will not forget."

Israel has responded to the Oct. 7 attacks with an extensive bombing campaign in Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Tuesday that 34,789 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaa Strip since the war began.

Israel's military operation in Gaza has since become a flashpoint on U.S. college campuses, starting with a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" protest at Columbia University that began on April 18. Similar demonstrations have spread to other elite schools like New York University, Princeton, Emerson College and the University of Southern California.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said more than a dozen colleges, including Harvard, are "failing" to protect students, while an additional 53 have "deficient approaches" or "corrections needed."

"Scapegoating and demonizing any minority is a threat to every minority," Biden said Tuesday.

The ADL — along with the Orthodox Union, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Jewish Federations of North America, Hillel International, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the National Council of Jewish Women – urged the Biden administration last week to "do more to protect Jewish students and the broader student community from intimidation, harassment and violence."

"My commitment to the Jewish people, the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is iron clad, even when we disagree," Biden said.

"The Jewish community, I want you to know, I see your fear and your hurt and your pain. Let me reassure you, as your President, you're not alone. You belong. You always have and you always will."

Biden said the work of fighting antisemitism cannot just be on politicians. He called on all Americans to support their Jewish neighbors.

In his remarks, Speaker Johnson said students, faculty and staff were "threatening" Jewish students on their own college campuses, calling this a time of Israel's "greatness need." He called for "decisive" action against antisemitism and "unequivocal" support to Israel.

"Now is a time for moral clarity," the speaker said. "We must put an end to this madness...The threat of repeating the past is so great."