President Joe Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff addressed a crowd of Jewish community leaders and elected officials at the White House on Monday evening commemorating Jewish American Heritage Month, speaking of the importance of Jewish joy in challenging times and reinforcing the administration’s commitment to the security of Israel and the Jewish people.
“Tonight, we’ve come together to celebrate our heritage and honor our culture, to reflect on the valuable contributions of our ancestors and the Jewish leaders of today,” Emhoff began his remarks. “But it is also a challenging time for our community.”
Emhoff acknowledged the difficulty of having hope and optimism right now, saying some days it’s really challenging to put himself out here and do this work publicly.
“I know it’s hard for you, too,” Emhoff said. “We keep fighting because we have no choice but to fight.”
After his introduction and highlighting of Jewish Americans’ contributions to the United States, Biden recognized that Monday night’s reception fell on hard times.
“The trauma of October 7 and its aftermath, the deadliest day the Jewish people have undergone since the Holocaust, is still fresh and ongoing,” Biden said.
Biden’s pledges commitment to Israel’s security
He directly acknowledged Rachel and Jonathan Goldberg-Polin, the parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who were in attendance at the White House.
Hersh is among the five American hostages whose status remains unknown.
“Rachel and John are here with us. Their love, strength and compassion inspire the entire world. I pledge to both of you and I mean it. I know you know, mom,” Biden said, addressing Rachel. “But I mean it that I will not rest until we bring your loved one home.”
Biden said he wanted to be clear that Israel will have everything it needs to defend itself against Hamas and “all of our enemies” as he did with Iran’s unprecedented attack.
“We stand with Israel to take out Sinwar and the rest of the butchers of Hamas,” Biden said. “We want Hamas defeated, and we will work with Israel to make that happen.”
Biden said his administration is also working to provide critical humanitarian assistance to suffering Palestinian civilians that’s consistent with Jewish values of compassion, kindness and dignity for human life.
“Let me be clear, we reject the ICC’s application for arrest warrants. There’s no equivalence between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said. “Contrary to allegations against Israel made by the International Court of Justice, what’s happening is not genocide. We reject that.”
Biden then transitioned to talking about antisemitism in the US, saying first amendment rights to peacefully protest are respected but there’s no place in America for hate speech that threatens violence of any kind against Jews or anyone else.
“I see your fear, your hurting, your pain,” Biden said. “Let me assure you as your president, you are not alone. You belong. You always will belong.”
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