This White House has the Jewish community's back.

Join Vice President Harris today for a High Holiday call.

This evening at sundown the final stage of the Jewish High Holidays, Yom Kippur, will begin with Kol Nidre. It’s the most solemn day of the year for Jews, a day of reflection about where we are as both individuals and as a community.

I remember Yom Kippur last year. Doug Emhoff, Vice President Harris’s husband, came to speak to my synagogue in Washington about the fight against Antisemitism and the need for the Jewish people to be proud of who we are. He spoke about his connection to Jewish life and the Biden Administration’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. It was inspiring.

Yet it seems like eons ago, as it was held at the end of last September, before the heinous October 7th attacks and the surge of Antisemitism we’ve seen since. In the year since last Yom Kippur, this has been without a doubt the hardest year for the American Jewish community in my lifetime.

But the good news is that the Jewish community is not alone. We have leaders in the White House who have our back. Both President Biden and Vice President Harris have not only been aggressive and proactive about standing up to the hate directed at the Jewish community, but they have also spoken about it in ways that are uniquely supportive, both in terms of policy and personal values.

With that in mind, I’d like to share two items with you from the president and vice president that you may have missed this week:

The first is an invitation to join Vice President Harris this afternoon at 1:30pm EDT for a High Holiday call. I even included a fancy photo for the call below. Click here to join it: High Holiday Call with the VP.

The second are some selected highlights of President Biden’s High Holiday call with the Jewish community from this past Wednesday. I’ve also pasted my favorite part of the Biden call for you below.

“And let me assure you as your president that you are not alone.  You belong, always — always have, always will be, and always must be protected. From the inception of our nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life.  Let me say that again.  From our very inception as a nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life, and you’re going to continue to do so for many years to come. 

Let me close with this.  I think about the wisdom I’ve learned from Jewish communities in Delaware and across the country that I’ve gotten to know over the years.  It seems to me there is a delicate yet profound balance between joy and pain to the High Holidays.  Rosh Hashanah is a day of celebration… for the Jewish New Year.  But it’s also a day of judgment. Similarly, Yom Kippur is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, yet Jewish scholars say it’s also the happiest day because it’s a time… for forgiveness and for renewal.

From my perspective, Jewish people have embodied this duality of pain and joy for generations.  It’s your strength.  The Jewish people have always chosen to find joy and happiness and light, despite centuries of suffering, persecution, and pain… it’s an enduring lesson and legacy for the Jewish people and for all of America to understand. 

So, thank you for continuing to find joy in the darkness and shine your light on the nation and on the world. God bless you all.  And may you have a happy New Year.”

Shanah Tovah and G'mar Chatimah Tovah.