The Biden Administration on Thursday unveiled the “first-ever” national strategy to counter antisemitism.
The four-pronged strategy starts with efforts to increase awareness and understanding of antisemitism and Jewish American heritage.
The strategy also includes commitments to “build cross-community solidarity by organizations across the private sector, civil society, religious and multi-faith communities, and higher education.”
The effort follows a January report from the Anti-Defamation League, which found that in 2020 85% of Americans believed at least one antisemitic trope—up from 61% the year before.
In a statement the White House further noted that according to FBI findings, American Jews are the victims of 63% of reported religiously motivated hate crimes, despite making up just 2.4% of the U.S. population.
“Antisemitism seeks to divide Americans from one another, erodes trust in government and nongovernmental institutions, and undermines our democracy,” the White House went on to say.
The new national strategy outlines more than 100 new actions that “Executive Branch agencies have committed to take in order to counter antisemitism—all of which will be completed within a year,” according to the White House.
The strategy also calls on Congress to enact legislation to counter antisemitism and urges “every sector of society to mobilize.”
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, who is Jewish, kicked off White House efforts when he hosted a roundtable of Jewish Leaders and White House officials in December to discuss ways to combat hate and rising antisemitism. He introduced the new strategy alongside Domestic Policy Adviser Susan Rice, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall.
In his own remarks on Thursday, Emhoff said, “I never would have thought that working on the safety and security for Jewish Americans and Jews around the world would be my cause. But now more than ever, we must rise to the challenge, and meet this moment.”
