Biden to host Hanukkah White House reception as anti-Semitism surges: Descendants of Holocaust survivors will watch Doug Emhoff light the menorah as threats against American Jews rise

President Joe Biden will host a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday evening as waves of anti-Semitism continue to rise across the country.

Second Gen. Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, will light the menorah along with White House staff members who are descendants of Holocaust survivors.

In all, President and First Lady Jill Biden will host nearly 800 guests to celebrate the fifth night of Hanukkah, the White House said. Guests include Holocaust survivors, members of Congress, state and local officials, entertainers and leaders from all Jewish religious denominations.

The reception comes during a period of the war's most intense fighting, sparked by Hamas' October 7 attack on Israeli border communities. Since the war began, anti-Semitism in America has increased 388 percent, Jonathan Greenblatt, director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said earlier this month.

President Joe and Jill Biden will host 800 guests at the White House on Monday evening to celebrate the fifth night of Hanukkah

Biden will discuss how Hanukkah is a timeless story of miracles, and that even in dark times we can find the light, a White House official said.

Emhoff has taken the lead for the government by speaking out against the wave of anti-Semitism.

Speaking at a ceremony to light the National Menorah on Thursday, Emhoff said there was a “crisis of anti-Semitism” that made it difficult for many Jews in America to celebrate Hanukkah.

He also criticized the presidents of three elite universities for their testimony on Capitol Hill about anti-Semitism on campus. He said this was an example of why many Jews felt “uneasy and afraid” over the backlash to Israel's military response in Gaza.

“To see the presidents of some of our most elite universities literally unable to denounce the call for genocide of the Jews as anti-Semitic — that lack of moral clarity is simply unacceptable,” Emhoff said.

'Let me be clear. When Jews are targeted because of their beliefs or identity, and when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is anti-Semitism. And it must be condemned unequivocally and without context,” he said.

The presidents of Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania have been criticized for not saying whether students who call for genocide will be punished.

Liz Magill, UPenn's president, has since resigned. The presidents of Harvard and MIT face similar pressure.

Biden has condemned attacks on both Muslims and Jews.

“We reject all forms of hatred, whether it is against Muslims, Jews or anyone else. That's what great nations do, and we are a great nation,” he said in an Oval Office speech in October.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has taken the lead on behalf of the government in speaking out against the wave of anti-Semitism

The menorah in the White House

Meanwhile, the president and his administration have provided unwavering diplomatic and military support to Israel, even as the country has urged its leaders to minimize civilian casualties and further mass displacement. Nearly 16,000 Palestinians have been killed and most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents displaced since the war began.

With little aid allowed into Gaza, Palestinians face severe food shortages and a lack of water and other basic goods. Some worry that Palestinians will be driven out of the area altogether.

About 1,300 people on the Israeli side have been killed since the war began. Israel also says Hamas still has 117 hostages and the remains of 20 people killed in captivity or during the initial attack.

The annual Festival of Lights, a time of celebration and reflection commemorating the victory of Maccabee soldiers over the Syrian-Greek army, began Thursday evening and will last until December 15.