WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� , the husband of Vice President , said Wednesday that he is 鈥渋n pain right now鈥� over rising antisemitism in the United States but will keep speaking out against it and other forms of bigotry and hate for 鈥渁s long as I have this microphone.鈥�
鈥淭here is an epidemic of hate facing our country. We鈥檙e seeing a rapid rise in antisemitic rhetoric and acts,鈥� said Emhoff, who is Jewish. 鈥淟et me be clear: Words matter. People are no longer saying the quiet parts out loud. They are literally screaming them.鈥�
He said such attitudes are dangerous and must not be accepted.
鈥淲e cannot normalize this. We all have an obligation to condemn these vile acts," Emhoff said. 鈥淲e must all, all of us, not stay silent.鈥�
The second gentleman, which is Emhoff's unofficial title, hosted a White House discussion on antisemitism and combating hate with Jewish leaders representing the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox denominations of the faith.
Emhoff spoke in his opening remarks about growing up in a 鈥渢ypical Jewish family." He was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn and grew up in New Jersey. He said his great-grandparents had escaped persecution in what is now Poland, and he recalled reading their names on a ship's manifest during a visit to Ellis Island, once an immigrant processing hub.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our identity. It鈥檚 my identity and I鈥檓 in pain right now,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all in pain right now.鈥�
Emhoff said he became a lawyer to stand up for others and fight inequality. He was a successful when his wife was elected vice president.
In his current role, Emhoff has grown increasingly outspoken about growing bias toward Jews, most recently by public figures with large followings, and hate at large.
Emhoff said these anti-Jewish attitudes are spread by old tropes, misinformation and falsehoods. He called them dangerous and said there is no either-or or both sides to the issue.
鈥淓veryone, all of us, must be against this, must be against antisemitism," Emhoff said.
The roundtable, at which various White House and other officials also participated, followed a spread by prominent public figures.
Former President Donald , a Holocaust-denying white supremacist, at Trump鈥檚 Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. The rapper Ye 鈥� formerly known as 鈥� expressed love for Adolf Hitler in an interview. Basketball star appeared to promote an antisemitic film on social media. Neo-Nazi trolls are clamoring to return to Twitter as new CEO Elon Musk grants 鈥渁mnesty鈥� to suspended accounts.
鈥淎ntisemitism is Jew hatred,鈥� said , who is President Joe Biden's special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. 鈥淭hey hate Jews because they're Jews.鈥�
Emhoff and other administration officials noted that Biden has secured increased funding from Congress to tighten security at synagogues and other houses of worship, appointed leaders such as Lipstadt to focus on hate crime, signed and recently hosted a .
Emhoff said Wednesday's roundtable marked a beginning.
鈥淎nd as long as I have this microphone, I am going to speak out against hate, bigotry, and lies,' he said. 鈥滻 will not remain silent. ... I'm proud to be Jewish. I'm proud to live openly as a Jew and I鈥檓 not afraid. We refuse to be afraid."
Participants included representatives of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Agudath, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, American Jewish Committee, Orthodox Union, Jewish on Campus, National Council of Jewish Women, Hillel, Secure Community Network, Religious Action Center, Anti-Defamation League, Integrity First for America and American Friends of Lubavitch.
Senior White House advisers Susan Rice and Keisha Lance Bottoms also participated.
Darlene Superville, The Associated Press
