Readout of Meeting with House and Senate Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism

This morning, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, Domestic Policy Advisor Ambassador Susan Rice, and Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall met at the Capitol with the Co-Chairs of the House and Senate Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism.

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to countering the rise of antisemitism in the United States, as part of broader efforts to fight hate and strengthen our democracy. President Biden established the Interagency Policy Committee to Counter Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Related Forms of Discrimination and Bias, which the Domestic Policy Council and National Security Council lead. President Biden directed this group, as its first order of business, to develop a national strategy to counter antisemitism.

At today’s meeting, Second Gentleman Emhoff spoke about the urgent need for such a strategy in light of rising antisemitism in the United States. Ambassador Rice and Dr. Sherwood-Randall described the ongoing process of developing the strategy, informed by robust consultation with a diverse array of stakeholders, and future plans to implement the strategy. They also discussed the need for a whole-of-society response to antisemitism focused on increasing awareness and understanding of antisemitism, protecting Jewish individuals and institutions, reversing the normalization of antisemitism and violence against Jews, and building allyship across communities to counter antisemitism and other forms of hate. Members of Congress provided feedback and insights for the strategy based on their own efforts to counter antisemitism.

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