Today, President Biden unveiled a National Strategy to Counter Anti-Semitism in response to the recent surge of anti-Semitic incidents which have taken place in this country in recent years.
I am of two minds on the subject. On the one hand, I am glad the Biden Administration recognizes anti-Semitism and wants to take steps to combat it. On the other hand, I wonder if the Biden Administration is prepared to combat all forms of anti-Semitism.
The preamble makes a point of mentioning the events of Charlottesville in 2017 when white supremacists chanted, "Jews will not replace us." It is a salient point since "white replacement theory" has gained currency among mainstream Republicans (i.e. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar) and the conservative ecosphere especially Tucker Carlson. Anti-Semitism inspired by white supremacy must be countered.
Yet it is equally important to combat anti-Semitism among those who support the Palestinians including among President Biden's own ranks in the Democratic Party such as Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Jamaal Bowman as well as among so-called progressives.
It is worth noting that only last month that NYU held a symposium on anti-Semitism not unlike the one held today in the White House. Yet this symposium was disrupted by pro-Palestinian groups shouting, "Palestine will be free". By Palestine they mean all of Israel and a Palestine free of Jews. If that isn't anti-Semitism then nothing is. If the Biden Administration is serious about countering anti-Semitism then it must counter Palestinian activists who seek to disrupt discussions about anti-Semitism and must do so with the same vigor that they rightly confront white supremacists.
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