Emhoff’s roundtable had already been successful the works a fewer weeks agone arsenic an avenue for the 2nd man to code the emergence successful antisemitic incidents crossed the state — but present it comes astatine a specifically poignant infinitesimal arsenic rapper Ye, amended known arsenic Kanye West, has precocious amplified antisemitic remarks, praising some Adolf Hitler and Nazism. The roundtable’s value is besides elevated by erstwhile President Donald Trump’s meal with Ye and achromatic nationalist Nick Fuentes astatine his Mar-a-Lago property past month.
President Joe Biden was not expected to marque an quality astatine the roundtable, though helium has been vocal successful condemning the caller emergence successful antisemitism, tweeting past week that “political leaders should beryllium calling retired and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides.”
“President Biden, Vice President [Kamala] Harris person met holocaust survivors,” Emhoff said connected Wednesday. “I’ve kept successful interaction with the survivors. I’ve shared messages of anticipation and strength. For maine today, this is not the extremity of the conversation; it’s conscionable the opening of the conversation.”
Though Emhoff, who is the archetypal Jewish idiosyncratic successful his role, did not turn up peculiarly religious, he’s mostly embraced his Jewish individuality since he’s assumed the relation of 2nd man — hosting a virtual Seder, lighting the menorah astatine a Jewish schoolhouse successful D.C. and attending Rosh Hashanah services this past September. More recently, he’s expressed an involvement successful uncovering ways to assistance combat antisemitism crossed the state amid what he’s called an “epidemic of hate.”
He said astatine the roundtable connected Wednesday that he’s “proud to beryllium Jewish” and “will not stay silent” successful speaking retired astir rampant antisemitism.
“It’s who we are. It’s our identity. It’s my identity. I’m successful symptom close now,” Emhoff said astatine the roundtable. “Our assemblage is successful pain. It hurts maine to spot what we’re going done close now. We cannot normalize this. There’s nary some side-isms connected this one.”
English (US)