Biden draws parallels between the Holocaust and Oct. 7 Hamas attack in remembrance ceremony

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden denounced a wave of antisemitic incidents that have broken out since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, assuring Jewish-Americans in a speech Tuesday that they shouldn’t feel isolated and alone as they face down bigotry.

The president also used the address to reaffirm his unswerving commitment to Israel, though he hinted at disagreements with Israeli government leaders whose offensive in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of civilians.

“My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, to the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad,” he said. “Even when we disagree."

Speaking at the U.S. Capitol, Biden gave the keynote address for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual commemoration of Germany’s attempt to annihilate European Jews during World War II.

He drew a parallel between the Holocaust and Hamas' surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that killed 1,200 people. Both, he said, were "driven by the ancient desire to wipe out the Jewish people off the face of the earth."

Biden spoke with particular conviction as he condemned the violent protests that have played out across college campuses over the war, leaving many Jewish students fearful of attending class.

Voice rising as he talked, the president said, “To the Jewish community, I want you to know: I see your fear, your hurt, your pain. Let me reassure you, as your president you’re not alone. You belong. You always have and you always will.”

Underscoring the oddities of the 2024 presidential race, Biden appeared at the same time the presumptive GOP nominee, Donald Trump, sat in a New York City courtroom and listened to the latest witness in his criminal trial: adult film star Stormy Daniels.

American politics has long been filled with so-called split-screen moments. But this one might rank as the starkest, with Biden talking solemnly about one of the darkest episodes in human history as Daniels recounted having sex with Trump in his hotel room in 2006.

Biden used the speech to define the limits of acceptable campus protest. While students have a distinct right to protest peacefully, they’re not free to harass and intimidate Jewish students with whom they may disagree, he said.

He rattled off ways that campus protesters have abused their freedoms, forcing frightened Jewish students to hide their Jewish stars beneath their shirts.

“There is no place on any campus in America, or any place in America, for antisemitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind,” Biden said.

“We’ve seen a ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and around the world,” he added. On college campuses, he said, Jewish students have been “blocked, harassed and attacked while walking to class.”

The Biden administration says it has worked aggressively to combat antisemitism. Last year, the White House released a National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism that outlines more than 100 actions the administration has taken and continues to take to fight antisemitism in the U.S. The strategy involves actions by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to strengthen security for Jewish institutions, along with actions by the Department of Education to combat antisemitism.

In the months following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Biden secured $400 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program through a supplemental spending bill that passed in February, which provides funding for security improvements and training to nonprofits and houses of worship, especially Jewish institutions.

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced additional actions by the Departments of Education, Homeland Security and State in an effort to counter antisemitism.

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued new guidance to school districts and colleges that provides examples of antisemitism discrimination and other forms of hate that could prompt investigations into civil rights violations.

Yet the department has faced criticism from both parties that it has been lax in investigating reports of campus antisemitism. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D.-N.J., sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona last month objecting to the pace of the department's investigations under Title VI of the 1964 civil rights act.

“While the evidence is often clear and convincing, many Title VI investigations have remained unresolved for months, and even years,” Gottheimer wrote.

Testifying before the House Education Committee on Tuesday, Cardona said he would consider revoking federal funds from schools that fail to protect students from antisemitic acts.

"If a school openly refuses to adhere to Title VI, revoking funds is something that I can do and I would do," Cardona said.

DHS plans to work with interagency partners to create an online campus safety resources guide and provide assistance to campuses through an accessible website. It will also develop best practices for community-based violence and terrorism prevention.

The Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism at the Department of State will gather and consult with technology firms to formulate best practices to counter antisemitic content found online.

CORRECTION (May 7, 2024, 2:18 p.m. ET): Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article misstated where Biden gave his speech. It was at the Capitol, not the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.