In KC, second gentleman Doug Emhoff calls U.S. support of Israel’s security ‘ironclad’

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s security during an appearance in Kansas City on Tuesday, as he acknowledged the Jewish community faces a rising tide of antisemitism.

Emhoff’s trip to Kansas City to speak to a conference on combating antisemitism came during a fraught moment for Jews in America and worldwide amid rising incidents of antisemitism following Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. Over the weekend, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel.

“Israel this weekend faced an unprecedented attack in Israel – on Israel. President Biden and Vice President Harris made clear that the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad,” Emhoff said. “The United States will continue to help Israel defend itself.”

Antisemitic incidents in Missouri rose from 30 in 2022 to 125 in 2023, according to data tracked by the Anti-Defamation League and released on Tuesday. The spike was the largest percentage increase among any state with more than 100 incidents, according to the ADL, with 62% of incidents taking place after Oct. 7.

Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president, has made combating antisemitism a priority as second gentleman. He nodded to the ADL’s new report, saying that “of course since Oct. 7 it’s even worse.”

“It validates what we all know, what we’re all seeing. And I think the numbers are even worse – that’s just what gets reported,” Emhoff said. “So the mission that we had before Oct. 7 and the work that I’ve been doing as part of the administration will continue. It’s taken on more importance and it’s not going to stop.”

Emhoff spoke at Rockhurst University, participating in a keynote discussion during a regional summit on combating antisemitism hosted by JCRB | AJC Kansas City, a Jewish community organization that fights antisemitism.

The summit took place just days after the 10th anniversary of the Overland Park Jewish Community Center shooting. On April 13, 2014, an Aurora, Missouri, man shot and killed three people – two at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and one at the Jewish retirement community Village Shalom.

Johnson County Commission Chair Mike Kelly said it’s important to take the opportunity to receive education about antisemitism. “I think as our community continues to grow, we continue to become more diverse, we need to utilize the resources that are available and today is a good recognition of that,” Kelly said.

Emhoff’s focus on antisemitism predates the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, but it has taken on a new urgency in recent months. At a White House gathering of Jewish community leaders immediately after the attack, Emhoff said “many of us feel a deep fear that these attacks will unfortunately and already have led to a rise in hate and antisemitism.”

The new Anti-Defamation League data shows a national rise in antisemitic incidents. The ADL tracked more than 5,200 incidents after Oct. 7, more than the total number of incidents in all of 2022.

In a video message, Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, called for vigilance against antisemitism.

“It must be challenged rather than allowed to fester in the shadows waiting to emerge and cause devastating harm,” Moran said.

Some Jewish leaders and organizations have faced criticism in the wake of Oct. 7 that they conflate antisemitism with opposition to the Israeli government. While Emhoff spoke at Rockhurst, Jewish Voice for Peace-Kansas City held a “People’s Symposium on Antisemitism” elsewhere on campus to highlight what it calls a “U.S.-backed Israeli genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Associated Press has reported that some 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, roughly two-thirds women and children. The numbers come from Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. During the Oct. 7 assault, Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 and took about 250 hostages; about 130 hostages remain inside Gaza.

The Biden administration has increased pressure on Israel in recent weeks to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza and it has warned against mounting offensive operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where many Palestinians have fled. Biden has faced protests calling for a ceasefire and to stop providing weapons to Israel.

In a closing speech, Gavriela Geller, executive director of the JCRB | AJC Kansas City, said that while anyone may disagree with a country’s military strategy and the decisions a government makes, “do not let anyone tell you the only way to express these feelings or engage critically on this issue is to align yourself with ideologies of Jew hatred.”

“Look, this conference is not about Israeli policy. But neither can we pretend the fate of the Jewish people isn’t tied to the fate of Israel, a country the size of New Jersey in which half the world’s Jews live,” Geller said.

“The reality is the way people talk about Israel has a direct effect on how safe my community is. It impacts the lived experiences of your Jewish neighbors here.”

Asked during keynote conversation what gives him hope, Emhoff emphasized the importance of taking joy in being Jewish.

“As horrible as this moment is that we’re in, it has brought this Jewish community together,” Emhoff said. “I hear from so many people who say they feel so much more connected to the faith and so much more connected to each other.”