Biden calls antisemitism ‘stain on the soul of America’ at Jewish American heritage event

President Biden on Tuesday condemned antisemitism as a “stain on the soul of America” as he hosted lawmakers and community leaders for a reception to mark Jewish American Heritage Month.

Biden spoke about the persistent threat of antisemitism, describing how it was the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., where protesters carried torches and chanted phrases including “Jews will not replace us,” that convinced him to run for the White House in 2020.

“That’s when I knew we had to stay engaged in the work of our time. Hate never goes away,” Biden said.

The president lamented that antisemitic incidents are at record levels in the United States, pointing to attacks on synagogues and Jewish businesses, beatings of Jewish Americans wearing religious attire, the spread of antisemitic conspiracy theories and vandalism involving swastikas.

“It’s unconscionable. It’s almost unbelievable. It’s despicable,” Biden said. “These acts are a threat to other minority communities as well. But more importantly, it’s literally a stain on the soul of America. We have to be clear… Silence is complicity.”

Biden pointed to steps his administration has taken, including appointing Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt as the administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism and forming a White House task force focused on formulating a strategy to fight antisemitism, led by second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Emhoff also spoke at Tuesday’s event, describing the work the administration has done to combat antisemitism and recalling how Vice President Harris “encouraged me to lean into this fight.”

Emhoff in January traveled to Poland to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and speak with international leaders about efforts to stop the spread of antisemitism.

“Right now we are experiencing a marked rise of antisemitism, not only in our country but throughout the world,” he said Tuesday. “And it’s unfortunately part of an overall epidemic of hate. But I know I’m doing everything I can to fight back.”