US President Joe Biden is set to unveil a broad strategy to combat antisemitism on Thursday morning, launching a plan that has been in the works for months and that has sparked debate among Jewish organizations, JTA reports.
The strategy will be announced with a video presentation and a live-streamed conversation between its two architects — Susan Rice, Biden’s chief domestic policy adviser, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a US President or Vice President, who has made combating antisemitism one of key elements of his time in office.
Multiple sources confirmed to JTA that the rollout time was announced in messages sent to leaders of Jewish organizations on Sunday. The administration has been laying the groundwork for a strategy that would encompass the breadth of government.
Speaking earlier this month at a White House event in honor of Jewish Heritage Month, Biden said that the strategy “includes over 100 meaningful actions that government agencies are going to take to counter antisemitism.”
He said it would raise awareness of antisemitism and Jewish heritage, engage in building coalitions to fight antisemitism and bolster security for Jewish communities.
Emhoff spoke Tuesday night to a gathering of the Jewish Democratic Council of America. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks to the group on Wednesday morning. “Let us not be overwhelmed,” she said, urging those present to work with the strategy once it is published. “Let us not be living in a state of fear. Let us not throw up our hands when it’s time to call up our sleeves.”