B’nai B’rith ‘Surprised and Disappointed’ Biden Didn’t Address Antisemitism in SOTU

“We renew our call for a domestic antisemitism czar,” the organization says in a statement Thursday

Joe Biden 2024 State of the Union
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In a statement Thursday, B’nai B’rith International said it is “surprised and disappointed” that President Joe Biden didn’t address “the growing threat of antisemitism” across the country in his State of the Union speech.  

In the statement, signed by the nonprofit’s president Seth J. Riklin and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin, the organization acknowledged Biden’s firm support for Israel’s “right to go after Hamas,” adding that it opposed any ceasefire agreement in which Hamas is allowed to rearm.

“As long as Hamas remains in power, there can be no security for Israel and no peace for the region,” the group said. The statement also called “for the immediate release of all 134 remaining hostages held by Hamas.”

“It is despicable there are still babies, children, women and men held as hostages, 153 days after Hamas terrorists abducted them. It is imperative that Hamas is eliminated as a military force, and the world community must ensure Hamas has no future role in Gaza,” the statement added.

The group asked that Biden honor a Trump-era executive order to combat antisemitism, and made a renewed call “for a domestic antisemitism czar, as a counterpoint to U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat antisemitism.”

But the statement also expressed support for several positions Biden advanced in the speech, including negotiating the price of Medicare-covered drugs, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and supporting the Affordable Care Act. B’nai B’rith also endorsed Biden’s proposals for dealing with Iran, and a bipartisan solution to the border issue.

The statement went on to highlight former hostage Mia Schem and the families of nearly 17 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza, who were present during Biden’s State of the Union address. Their presence “was an especially fitting and meaningful way to call attention to the hostages’ plight, and to remind the world that Hamas started this war,” it said.

It also praised members of Congress who sported yellow ribbons and dog tags in honor of those who remain in captivity as “a powerful reminder that those captured by Hamas are not forgotten.”

B’nai B’rith added, “In the year ahead, we remain committed to calling on the president and other elected leaders to speak out against antisemitism and advocate for policies that bolster the security and prosperity of Israel.”

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