From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 30, 2023
Top Biden officials meet with Jewish communal leaders to discuss antisemitism
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, and antisemitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt have just wrapped up a meeting with executives of major American Jewish community organizations about the Biden administration’s efforts to combat the uptick in antisemitism on college campuses.
The top Biden officials “heard from Jewish leaders about the extremely disturbing pattern of antisemitic threats of violence in schools and college campuses” since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, the White House says.
Emhoff and Cardona “unequivocally denounced antisemitism and all other forms of hate. They also reaffirmed the administration’s support for Israel and the right for Israel to defend itself against terrorism,” the US readout adds.
Earlier today, the White House announced a series of actions it is taking to combat the “alarming” rise in reported antisemitic incidents on college campuses.
“The administration will continue to engage with leading organizations and students to hear from them directly and take additional actions to counter antisemitism and hate,” the White House says.
