US President Joe Biden issued a warning about the rise in antisemitism in the country, particularly on college campuses, as his backing of Israel’s attack on Gaza causes rifts among Democrats and alienates some younger voters.
In the nation with the second-largest Jewish population after Israel, Biden participated in a contentious American discussion over Jewish security, Zionism, free speech, and support for Israel during a speech commemorating the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust.
Speaking to a cross-party crowd at the annual anniversary of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, he forewarned of the danger of losing track of the truth regarding the deliberate extermination of Jews during World War Two.
“‘Never again’ simply translated for me means: Never forget. Never forgetting means we must keep telling the story, we must keep teaching the truth. The truth is we’re at risk of people not knowing the truth,” Biden said at the US Capitol’s Emancipation Hall.
On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas struck Israel, murdering 1,200 Jews according to Israeli estimates. Seven months and one day later, Biden has dubbed this day the bloodiest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
At the time of his speech, Israel’s retaliation has killed almost 35,000 people in Gaza, which is under Hamas control, according to Gaza health authorities. Many of the 2.3 million people living there are on the verge of starvation, and the US is witnessing protests calling for universities and Biden to stop supporting Israel.
