Biden: ‘More pressing than ever’ to remember ‘scourge of antisemitism’ on Holocaust Remembrance Day
President Biden marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Friday, saying in a statement that it was “more pressing than ever” for Americans to bear in mind the atrocities committed by and evil of the Nazis, and the dangers of antisemitism.
Biden mourned the deaths of millions of Jews during the Holocaust, as well as the killings of people with disabilities, Romani people, LGBTQ individuals and other groups targeted by the Nazis. He said this year’s day of remembrance was particularly poignant because of the Hamas attacks against Israel in October that left more than 1,000 Israelis dead.
“This year, the charge to remember the Holocaust, the evil of the Nazis, and the scourge of antisemitism is more pressing than ever,” Biden said, noting the Hamas attack was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
“In the aftermath of Hamas’s vicious massacre, we have witnessed an alarming rise of despicable antisemitism at home and abroad that has surfaced painful scars from millennia of hate and genocide of Jewish people,” Biden said. “It is unacceptable. We cannot remember all that Jewish survivors of the Holocaust experienced and then stand silently by when Jews are attacked and targeted again today.
“Without equivocation or exception, we must also forcefully push back against attempts to ignore, deny, distort, and revise history,” he continued. “This includes Holocaust denialism and efforts to minimize the horrors that Hamas perpetrated on October 7, especially its appalling and unforgivable use of rape and sexual violence to terrorize victims.”
Biden vowed to continue fighting antisemitism and “all forms of hate-fueled violence,” and to bring home those still being held hostage by Hamas.
The Anti-Defamation League has reported an enormous spike in antisemitic incidents in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks, and the Biden administration has taken steps to try to mitigate the resulting threats against Jews.
The White House last year also outlined a first of its kind national strategy to combat antisemitism, which included recommendations for state and local governments, as well as for social media platforms.
Biden has been steadfast in his support of Israel and the Jewish people following the Oct. 7 attacks, but he has faced sustained protests from pro-Palestinian activists as Israeli forces carried out military campaigns in Gaza.
The White House has repeatedly said it does not support a full cease-fire between Hamas and Israel because it would give Hamas a change to reorganize, but it has called for Israel to minimize civilian casualties and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
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