US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Monday evening hosted a Hanukkah reception at the White House.
Speaking at the reception, President Biden called on Americans to get off the sidelines and join the fight against rising antisemitism in the United States.
"Today, we must all say clearly and forcefully that antisemitism and all forms of hate and violence in this country have no safe harbor in America. Period," he said, as quoted by Reuters, adding that "silence is complicity."
The Hanukkah reception also included adding the first-ever official White House menorah, the first Jewish artifact to be added to the White House archives.
"The White House has never had its own menorah, until now. It is now a cherished piece of this home, your home, tonight," First Lady Jill Biden told the crowd.
Special guests at Monday’s reception included Bronia Brandman, a 90-yr-old Holocaust survivor, and Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was the leader of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, when a gunman took him and several congregants hostage last January.
The National Menorah at the White House was lit on Sunday evening to commemorate the first day of Hanukkah.
US Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, on Sunday night posted a photo to Twitter of them lighting the first candle of Hanukkah.
“Hanukkah is a special time in our home. As we join millions worldwide in celebrating miracles, we remember that light will always triumph over darkness,” they wrote.
“From our family to yours, happy Hanukkah.”