Biden, Harris condemn surge in antisemitic incidents

by Brett Samuels - 05/24/21 11:10 AM ET

President Biden and Vice President Harris on Monday condemned attacks on the Jewish community amid a rise in antisemitic incidents this month.

“The recent attacks on the Jewish community are despicable, and they must stop. I condemn this hateful behavior at home and abroad — it’s up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor,” Biden tweeted.

The recent attacks on the Jewish community are despicable, and they must stop. I condemn this hateful behavior at home and abroad — it’s up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor.

— President Biden (@POTUS) May 24, 2021

Harris followed with a tweet of her own, which similarly called the surge in antisemitic attacks “despicable.”

“As a country, we must stand united against hate of any kind,” Harris tweeted.

The surge in anti-Semitic attacks against the Jewish community in the U.S. and around the world is despicable—it must be called out, condemned, and stopped. As a country, we must stand united against hate of any kind.

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) May 24, 2021

Biden and Harris denounced antisemitism as Jewish leaders around the country saw an increase in vandalism and attacks on Jewish people.

A synagogue just outside Chicago was vandalized over the weekend, a Jewish Man was assaulted in Times Square in an incident captured on vide and New York City police are investigating after someone threw fireworks during dueling pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protests last week.

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) tweeted last week that her synagogue in Tucson was vandalized. Several Jewish diners were assaulted outside a Los Angeles restaurant last week, as well.

The attacks on the Jewish community come as Israel and Hamas brokered a cease-fire on Friday to de-escalate a two-week conflict in the country.

The incidents are part of a more sustained trend of an increase in antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League reported more than 2,000 instances of assault, harassment and vandalism against the Jewish community in 2020, the highest number in its history.