US donates $2.2 million to UNESCO to fight antisemitism
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff addresses post-Oct. 7 surge of Jew-hatred at UNESCO event in Paris; Biden administration rejoined agency after Trump withdrew over anti-Israel bias
Doug Emhoff, husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, announced in Paris on Thursday that Washington would make an exceptional contribution of over $2 million to the UN cultural agency UNESCO to boost the fight against antisemitism.
His announcement came at a UNESCO event focusing on efforts to respond to surging antisemitism through education. Also speaking at the event were representatives from the US, France, Germany and Rwanda, as well as representatives from the World Jewish Congress, the French Jewish Community and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
The profile of Emhoff, a former top entertainment lawyer, has risen sharply in recent weeks after Harris became the Democratic candidate in the upcoming US presidential election, against Republican Donald Trump, following US President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
If Harris is elected in November, she will be the country’s first female president, making Emhoff, who is Jewish, its first First Gentleman.
Emhoff has repeatedly denounced antisemitism, which has surged globally in the wake of the Hamas terror group’s October 7 attack, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, triggering an ongoing war.
“The issue of antisemitism, the issue of hate, it’s just deeply personal to me as a Jewish person,” Emhoff said on Thursday, alongside UNESCO Secretary General Audrey Azoulay.
“We have seen a crisis of antisemitism erupt around the world. It’s gotten worse and worse and worse. We see it everywhere, right on our streets, our places of worship, college campuses, markets, and online.”
The 59-year-old announced a “voluntary contribution” of $2.2 million from the United States to the Paris-based UN body to finance action against antisemitism.
Some of the funds will go toward training teachers and setting up antisemitism programs in schools.
The United States returned to UNESCO in July, after a five-year absence following a 2017 decision by then-US president Trump to withdraw, citing anti-Israel bias.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
