Biden: We are determined to fight anti-Semitism

President Joe Biden issued a statement on the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.

“On October 27, 2018, the silence of a Saturday morning was shattered by gunfire and hatred, and a place of refuge turned into a place of carnage,” the statement said. – Twenty-two people attended a service at the Tree of Life synagogue that day; eleven of them will never return home to their families again. Six more were injured, including four police officers who arrived on the scene.”

“In the four years since that terrible day, the people of Pittsburgh have shown us what it means to be stronger than hate,” stressed the White House chief.

“The courage and character of the Pittsburgh community remain an inspiration to us all,” he said.

“As we mourn this deadliest act of anti-Semitism in American history, we, along with the Squirrel Hill community and Jewish communities in America and around the world, are determined to combat anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms,” the president continued. He also noted that “we are witnessing an ugly rise in anti-Semitism in America.”

“That’s why,” Biden recalled, “I established (the post of) the first Special Envoy at the ambassadorial level to monitor and combat anti-Semitism and appointed a noted Holocaust expert, Deborah Lipstadt, to that role. My administration worked with Congress to secure the largest ever increase in security funding for synagogues and other religious institutions. And at last month’s United We Stand Summit, my administration announced a series of actions and commitments to combat hate violence.”

In his statement, the president also noted the administration’s efforts in cooperation with Congress on gun control.

“My administration brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass the most important gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. I intend to build on that success by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines – we’ve done it before and can do it again.”

“On this difficult day, our hearts are with the families of the victims, survivors and all those touched by the (incident with)the Tree of Life shooting. May their memory be a blessing, and may we continue to bridge the gap between the world we see and the future we seek,” President Biden said.