Statement on the United States National Strategy To Counter Antisemitism

Six years ago, Neo-Nazis marched from the shadows through Charlottesville, Virginia, chanting, "Jews will not replace us." With torches in hand, they spewed the same antisemitic bile and hate that were heard across Europe in the 1930s. What happened in Charlottesville—the horror of that moment, the violence that followed, and the threat it represented for American democracy—drove me to run for President. The very soul of our Nation was hanging in the balance. It still is today.

Repeated episodes of hate—including numerous attacks on Jewish Americans—have since followed Charlottesville, shaking our moral conscience as Americans and challenging the values for which we stand as a Nation. That is why I convened the first-ever United We Stand Summit at the White House in September 2022: to bring communities from across the country together to combat hate in all its forms—including the persistent scourge of antisemitism—that has long plagued our Nation. We must stand united—regardless of our backgrounds and beliefs—to affirm that an attack on any one group of us is an attack on us all and that hate can have no safe harbor in America.

Together, we must acknowledge and confront the reality that antisemitism is rising, both at home and abroad. Loud voices are normalizing this venom, but we must never allow it to become normal. Antisemitism threatens not only the Jewish community, but all Americans. People who peddle these antisemitic conspiracy theories and fuel racial, ethnic, and religious hatred against Jews also target other communities—including Black and brown Americans; Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; LGBTQI+ individuals; Muslim Americans; women and girls; and so many others. Our intelligence agencies have determined that domestic terrorism rooted in white supremacy—including antisemitism—is the greatest terrorist threat to our Homeland today.

By seeking to turn the masses against the few, by scapegoating and dehumanizing others—and most of all—by stoking violence, the perpetrators of hate aim to upend our most cherished values and undermine our efforts to build a culture of respect, peace, and cooperation. Protecting the Jewish community from antisemitism is essential to our broader fight against all forms of hate, bigotry, and bias—and to our broader vision of a thriving, inclusive, and diverse democracy.

History teaches that hate never fully goes away; it only hides until it is given just a little oxygen. That is why we must confront antisemitism early and aggressively whenever and wherever it emerges from the darkness.

Toward that aim, my Administration has developed the first U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. It represents the most ambitious and comprehensive U.S. government-led effort to fight antisemitism in American history. It also brings Americans together—regardless of our backgrounds and beliefs—to stand united against the hate, racism, bigotry, and violence that have long haunted our Nation. The Strategy outlines a whole-of-society effort to combat antisemitism, including unprecedented, coordinated, and bold actions that will be implemented across government agencies, as well as calls to action for public officials, private sector leaders, and Americans from every sector, industry, and walk of life. The Strategy—which reflects input from over 1,000 Jewish community stakeholders, faith and civil rights leaders, State and local officials, and more—also serves as a blueprint for tackling other forms of bigotry, hate, and bias that fuel toxic divisions in America.

Fortunately, what the Neo-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville did not account for was the extraordinary decency of the vast majority of Americans and the simple truth that we are a great Nation because we are a good people. A people that derives strength from our diversity and from the commitment of each successive generation to push us closer to realizing the promise of America for all Americans. It is a promise founded on the belief that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. While we have never fully lived up to that promise, we have never walked away from it either. And we will never stop fighting until we all see each other as we should—as fellow human beings.

Through this U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, we are taking a historic step forward. I am proud to lead my Administration's efforts to counter antisemitism, and I urge all Americans to join me in ensuring that in America, evil will not win. Hate will not prevail. The venom and violence of antisemitism will not be the story of our time. The power lies within each of us to transform that story. To rise together against hate. To show the world who we are. And to restore the soul of America together.

JOE BIDEN