Leading Israeli figures came out in support of US President Joe Biden’s new strategy to combat anti-Semitism, an international expert writes Konstantin Kryvopust.
Since the strategy was announced about an hour before the two-day Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Israeli government officials and civil servants waited until the evening of May 27 to respond and thank the Biden administration. President Yitzhak Herzog thanked Biden on his Twitter account on the evening of May 27: “Thank you for your strong stance against anti-Semitism. This is reflected in the first-ever national anti-Semitism strategy your administration released over the weekend.” Herzog added that “we are fighting this battle together against a terrible phenomenon that is rearing its ugly head around the world and in America as well. It must be fought with various means, as stated in the strategy, without any compromises.”
In an official statement on behalf of the State of Israel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “The State of Israel welcomes the release by the United States of a national strategy to combat anti-Semitism and the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. The rise of anti-Semitism, including expressions of hatred of Israel and denial of its right to exist, calls for firm and decisive action through education, law enforcement, and the protection of Jewish communities in the United States and elsewhere. There is no place for anti-Semitism, and we must all pursue a policy of zero tolerance for hatred of any person.”
The Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Anti-Semitism Amichai Shikli also wrote a similar statement on his Twitter account. On May 25, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, was the first representative of Israel to respond to the Biden administration’s strategy. He said he would like to “congratulate the Biden administration on publishing the first-ever national strategy to combat anti-Semitism.” “Thank you, President Biden, for prioritizing the need to confront anti-Semitism in all its forms. We welcome the revision of the IHRA definition, which is the gold standard for defining anti-Semitism. Less than a century after the Holocaust, the rise of anti-Semitism in America and around the world is alarming. This report is an important first step in the long-term fight against this poisonous hatred.”
Biden announced an unprecedentedly large-scale strategy
US President Biden unveiled an unprecedentedly large-scale strategy to combat anti-Semitism on the morning of May 25, unveiling a plan that has been in the works for months and sparked debate among Jewish organizations. The 60-page National Anti-Semitism Strategy was announced in the form of a video presentation and a live conversation between its two creators — Susan Rice, Biden’s top domestic policy adviser, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is the first Jewish tsetse. Also participating live were National Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall and Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism. Biden, who was not present at the presentation but was introduced in a recorded message,
