NEW YORK – President Joe Biden released a proclamation on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the May 1 start of Jewish American Heritage Month in which he acknowledged the pain of the Jewish community post-October 7 and repeated his commitment to securing a hostage deal.
“As we celebrate the Jewish American community’s contributions this month, we also honor their resilience in the face of a long and painful history of persecution,” Biden said.
Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack on October 7 resurfaced “painful scars from millennia of antisemitism and genocide of Jewish people,” according to the proclamation.
Biden said Jews across the country and around the world are still coping with the trauma of that day and the months since.
“Our hearts are with all the victims, survivors, families, and friends whose loved ones were killed, wounded, displaced, or taken hostage – including women and girls whom Hamas has subjected to appalling acts of rape and sexual violence,” Biden said.
Biden reaffirmed his commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state.
The president noted how the US and its allies defended Israel as it was under Iranian attack.
Biden said his administration is working around the clock to free the hostages who have been held by Hamas for almost seven months.
"We will not rest until we bring them home"
“As I have said to their families, we will not rest until we bring them home,” he said.
He also said the US is leading international efforts to deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid to Gaza and an immediate ceasefire as part of a deal that releases hostages and lays the groundwork for an enduring two-state solution.
Biden recognized the “ferocious surge” of antisemitism and touted federal agencies like the FBI and the Departments of Education, Justice and Homeland Security for investigating hate crimes and prosecuting those accountable.
The president also touted the increase in security funding for non-profits and his appointment of Deborah Lipstadt as the first ever ambassador-level Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
“Together, we are sending the message that, in America, evil will not win. Hate will not prevail,” Biden said. “The venom and violence of antisemitism will not be the story of our time.”