Biden Warns Of A ‘ferocious’ Surge In Antisemitism In The U.s. And Across The Globe

President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned of a “ferocious” surge of antisemitism in America and around the world, in comments that both called out the violent excesses of pro-Palestinian campus protest and reaffirmed the U.S. alliance with Israel.

“On college campuses, Jewish students [have been] blocked, harassed, attacked, while walking to class,” Biden declared. “Antisemitism, antisemitic posters, slogans calling for the annihilation of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state. Too many people denying, downplaying, rationalizing, ignoring the horrors of the Holocaust and Oct. 7... It is absolutely despicable, and it must stop.”

The address by Biden, delivered in the U.S. Capitol in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, comes as he is managing a series of crises, with protests rattling college campuses and Israel appearing ready to forge ahead with a planned Rafah invasion.

Biden’s remarks were delivered in the form of a clarion call to Americans over the direction of the current debate around the Israel-Hamas war. Dressed in a navy blue suit with world flags draped behind him, he connected the horrors of World War II, with Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 and the current rise of antisemitism. A solemn crowd of Holocaust survivors, families and lawmakers sat before him in the softly lit hall, giving him sustained applause when he was introduced and at various points in his address.

“To the Jewish community, I want you to know: I see your fear, your hurt and your pain. Let me reassure you as your president, you’re not alone. You belong. You always have, and you always will. My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad, even when we disagree,” Biden said to applause.

The remarks were the second time in a week that Biden has injected himself into the tense debate surrounding the protests on campuses. The White House had initially tried to avoid significant involvement in an issue that advisers believed was a political tinderbox. But as protests escalated last week, the president decided he needed to offer a specific condemnation of violence and property destruction before the public.

On Tuesday, he delivered a loftier speech, though one that similarly placed him as a critic of the campus protests.

“Whether against Jews or anyone else — violent attacks, destroying property, is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law,” he said, the crowd listening attentively as he spoke. “We’re not a lawless country. We’re a civil society. We uphold the rule of law.”

The address provided a striking illustration of the political terrain that the White House has had to navigate on this and other issues. As Biden spoke, his likely general election opponent — former President Donald Trump — was in a courthouse in Manhattan facing testimony from porn star Stormy Daniels about alleged efforts to cover up their alleged affair.

Biden aides welcomed the split screen, even with the potential that it could blot out coverage of the president’s speech.

Trickier to handle has been the campus unrest itself. Biden has faced unrelenting criticism from young voters and other blocs of the Democratic Party for his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. And he has struggled to strike a balance in demonstrating his continued support for Israel while also trying to reel in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war in Gaza, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed.

Republicans have depicted the country as mired in chaos while Trump has accused Biden of not doing enough to combat antisemitism, a criticism that ignores the former president’s past invocation of antisemitic tropes.

Amid reports of antisemitic episodes and harassment of Jewish students, Jewish groups have urged the administration to take a more active role in creating safer climates on campuses.

“We’ve been looking for and will continue to press for even more aggressive action,” said Adam Lehman, the CEO of Hillel International. “It’s critical that the White House show leadership in recognizing the deep scope and nature of issues impacting our campuses — and that the president speak out about the bias, discrimination and hostility Jewish and other students are facing as a result.”

Biden officials across the administration have kept in close touch with Jewish groups since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October, sharing updates on its efforts at home and abroad. The administration has leaned on a number of senior officials to focus on outreach. That group includes second gentleman Doug Emhoff, the government’s highest-ranking Jewish official, and Deborah Lipstadt, who serves as Biden’s envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism.

But while Jewish leaders praised the administration’s communication with the broader community, they have pushed for greater action in recent weeks to quell the campus protests. That’s included pressing the Education Department to step up civil rights investigations into antisemitism at universities, as well as calling for Biden to take a more active role in personally defining the administration’s attitude toward the protests.

“It seems like our governmental leadership and leadership in higher education are all just trying to tread water when it comes to addressing these issues,” said Lehman, who added that while Biden has struck the right tone of late condemning violent protests and antisemitism, “I would’ve appreciated seeing that articulation earlier during this wave of issues.”