Biden White House hosts celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month

United States President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on Tuesday afternoon delivered remarks at a reception to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month hosted at the White House. 

President Biden, who just weeks ago announced he will run for reelection, highlighted his administration's efforts to combat nationwide rising antisemitism.

"Over generations, the story of resilience, hope, faith of the Jewish people, and the adversity, prejudice and persecution and the promise of a better tomorrow has inspired people everywhere, everywhere around the world," the president said Tuesday to members of the press and Jewish community leaders. 

National strategy on antisemitism

A White House official said that the Biden-Harris administration is slated to release a novel national strategy to fight antisemitism, which will "address increasing awareness and understanding of both antisemitism and Jewish American heritage, improving safety and security for Jewish communities, reversing the normalization of antisemitism and addressing antisemitic discrimination, and building coalitions across all communities to fight hate."

"It will include over 100 meaningful actions that government agencies will take to counter antisemitism, as well as over 100 calls to action for Congress, State and local governments, companies, technology platforms, civil society, faith leaders, and others to counter antisemitism," the official said.

Biden called the strategy "the most ambitious, comprehensive effort in our history to combat antisemitism in America."

Biden said the strategy consists of four key pillars.  "First, we must increase awareness and understanding of both antisemitism and Jewish American heritage," he said. "Second, we have to improve safety and security for Jewish communities. Thirdly, we must reverse the normalization of antisemitism and address antisemitic discrimination, now and loudly. And finally, we have to continue we must continue to build coalitions all across communities to fight the hate."

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a vice president in US history, spoke as well.

Emhoff, who earlier on Tuesday met with White House Jewish staffers, has become key to the White House’s initiatives to fight anti-Jewish hate. Earlier this year, he conducted a tour to combat antisemitism, with stops in Poland and at the United Nations in New York.

"I look around this room and see a lot of friends," Emhoff said Tuesday. "But I also see so many leaders that are continuing this fight for justice, for equality. I see educators, my fellow lawyers, artists, chefs, community leaders, advocates, leaders in our military leaders in our government. Jewish Americans achieving at the highest levels of success, and how proud our ancestors would be to see us all here today."

Emhoff said that "the promise of America" is what allowed Jewish people to "live their dreams" after fleeing persecution, adding that "now it's up to us in our time, right now, to build on that legacy." 

.@SecondGentleman met with Jewish White House staff in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month.Our Administration is proud to recognize the Jewish staffers who help carry our nation forward each day and are helping create a more inclusive tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/QxH0rIDC3e

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 16, 2023

The event also featured performances from Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, Jewish stars of the new Broadway show "Parade," which tells the story of the 1915 lynching of a Jewish man in Georgia.

History of Jewish American Heritage Month

The reception marked the first Jewish American Heritage Month hosted by the Biden administration. The practice of declaring May as Jewish American Heritage Month was initiated in 2006 by then president George W. Bush. Since then, annual proclamations have been declared by former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama.

Forty-one percent of American Jews say their status in the US is less secure than it was a year ago, according to the American Jewish Committee’s State of Antisemitism in America Report for 2022. In the AJC’s 2021 report, 31% gave that answer.