On Thursday, the Biden administration unveiled the first-ever United States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. The strategy includes several actions that the Biden White House will enact to raise awareness of antisemitism and the threat to American democracy, protect Jewish communities, undo the normalization of antisemitism, and create cross-community solidarity.
According to the White House's plan, the US government will increase education about antisemitism, its threat to democracy, the Holocaust, and Jewish contribution to American society in K-12 schools and college campuses. Another measure includes creating the first-ever American-based Holocaust education research center in 2024, sponsored by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Regarding the safety and security of Jewish Americans, the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center will engage in an annual threat assessment on antisemitic drivers of transnational violent extremism. Federal agencies like the FBI and others will also commit to using and raising awareness about federal laws prohibiting antisemitic discrimination.
In addition to government agencies speaking out against antisemitism, the administration's new plan contains partnerships with different organizations like the National Basketball Players Association, the Anti-Defamation League, and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) to raise awareness of antisemitism and mobilize all sectors of American society to respond to antisemitism.
Organizations like the Interfaith Alliance and the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation will work to publish new resource guides, collaborate with the ADL and AJC, and educate individuals about countering antisemitism.
The administration has also listed the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a partner in drafting the new plan and its designated role in launching a tour to educate religious communities about the steps they can take to protect themselves and their places of worship from hate attacks.
On social media, experts and analysts weighed in on the White House's new plan, sounding off on CAIR's partnership and how it shaped the administration's plan, given its outspoken support for the Boycott Divest and Sanction (BDS) against the Jewish state of Israel, harassing Jewish student on college campuses, and its links to Islamic terrorist groups.
CAIR is on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) designated terror list over its ties to the infamous Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist organization, which has stoked Islamic terrorism and antisemitism towards Jews and called for the destruction of Israel. Experts also point out that the administration has done little to address antisemitism coming from the progressive side of the political aisle, particularly regarding Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who have made antisemitic statements against Israel and Jewish Americans.
Other experts noted that the Biden White House did not adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, making enforcement impossible. Despite the document stating that the IHRA definition exists, the White House's Plan does not adopt its definition, despite international agreement.
Users on Twitter also noted that the Biden administration endorsed the fringe Nexus definition of antisemitism, crafted by progressive academics resulting in a weakened IHRA definition. The proposal by the administration also references "all other forms of hatred" countless times, prompting concern among individuals who believe that the administration and its allies could be broadening the scope of their agenda.
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