More than a hundred lawmakers sent a letter Tuesday asking President Biden for a national strategy to combat antisemitism and a “whole-of-government” approach to threats and violence against Jewish communities.
“As members of the House and Senate Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism, we write to urge you to ensure leaders working within your Administration are working together to execute a unified national strategy to monitor and combat antisemitism,” the lawmakers said in the letter.
“With Jewish communities worldwide facing increasing discrimination, as well as threats and acts violence, we believe a whole-of-government approach is needed to effectively address the scourge of antisemitism,” they added.
Leaders of the Senate and House Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism put forth the letter with 126 lawmaker signatures from both parties to ask Biden for increased interagency coordination and collaboration.
Strategic coordination would help agencies “share best practices, data, and intelligence; identify gaps in efforts; streamline overlapping activities and roles; and execute a unified national strategy,” the lawmakers said.
The Biden administration is set to hold a roundtable on combating antisemitism Wednesday, to be hosted by second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, and White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice amid heightened discourse about antisemitism nationwide.
The letter and the roundtable follow a controversial dinner hosted by former President Trump, who welcomed white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and the rapper Ye, who has come under fire for antisemitic comments and for saying he sees “good things” about Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, to his Mar-a-Lago residence last month.
Biden appeared to hit back at the rhetoric in a recent Tweet: “The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides.”
The lawmakers’ letter argues that “rising antisemitism” is endangering people in Jewish communities both in the U.S. and abroad — and that the matter merits further action from the administration.
“Antisemitic voices, inciting hateful and violent action, are finding new audiences, with anti-Jewish conspiracies gaining traction across the globe and through social media. In the United States, the evidence of rising antisemitism is clear and alarming,” the lawmakers wrote.
Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) lead the Senate task force, and Reps. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) and Chris Smith (R-N.J.) lead the House equivalent.