Antisemitism: Speak out, act to fight menace — Biden
The President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, on Wednesday urged citizens to speak out and act in order to fight antisemitism.
Antisemitic simply means hating and attacking the Jews.
Biden said this in his passover speech titled, ‘My message to the Jewish community this Passover’, as seen on the White House website.
He decried the rising attacks against Jews fuelled by antisemitism in the US, saying “failure to call out hate is complicity…And we will not be silent.”
He said, “Tonight, Jews around the world will gather around the seder table to celebrate Passover. They will recount the miraculous story of the Jewish people’s exodus from slavery in Egypt to freedom. It is a timeless, powerful story of faith, hope and redemption that has inspired oppressed people everywhere for generations.
“But Passover is more than just a recounting of the past. It is also a cautionary tale of the present and our future as a democracy. As Jews read from the Haggadah about how evil in every generation has tried to destroy them, antisemitism is rising to record levels today.
“According to the FBI, more than half of religious hate crimes in America in 2021 targeted Jews and were motivated by antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League similarly found that in 2022 antisemitic incidents in America reached their highest levels on record since it started tracking incidents more than 40 years ago.
“We see this evil across society. Terrorist attacks on synagogues. Bricks thrown through windows of Jewish businesses. Antisemitic flyers left on the front lawns of Jewish homes. Swastikas on cars and cemeteries.
