Biden to host Hanukkah ceremony at White House amid fears of rising anti-Semitism

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will host a reception at the White House on Monday to mark Hanukkah, celebrating the holiday as he continues to denounce rising anti-Semitism in the US and abroad amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

The president, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will attend the reception. Hanukkah lasts until Friday.

The Biden administration in May announced what it called the first-ever national strategy to counter anti-Semitism. It outlined more than 100 actions, including a series of steps to increase awareness and understanding of anti-Semitism and the threat it poses in the US.

Still, anti-Semitism has only increased in some quarters since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and other militants sparked Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, which is facing increased criticism over the rising Palestinian death toll. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and urged UN members to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

The Biden administration backed a now-expired temporary lull in the fighting when Hamas released some of the hostages it was holding in Gaza, and is pushing for a new ceasefire — but in the meantime the fighting continues.

Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, is the first Jewish person to be the wife of one of the country's nationally elected leaders. Last week, he presided over the lighting ceremony of a huge menorah in front of the White House to mark the first night of Hanukkah, saying American Jews are “feeling lonely” and “in pain.”

On Saturday, Liz Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania, resigned under pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where, under repeated questioning, she failed to say that campus calls for genocide of Jews would be inconsistent with the behavior of the school. policy.

Universities in the US have been accused of failing to protect Jewish students amid rising fears of anti-Semitism worldwide and the fallout from the war in Gaza.