Yesterday at the White House

October 12, 2023

Dear friends,

It has not been an easy few days. It’s now clear that October 7th was the deadliest day for the Jewish community since the Holocaust — and each new detail about Hamas’ attacks in Israel provides another level of horror.

Make no mistake: our community is in deep pain. That is why I was especially grateful to join my fellow Jewish communal leaders yesterday at the White House for a meeting with President Biden, Second Gentleman Emhoff, and a number of other key officials.

The pain in the room was palpable — and the President and his team met it with the moral clarity and support we so desperately need right now.

President Biden made unequivocally clear that the U.S. stands with both Israel and the Jewish people. His outrage and emotion were obvious as we discussed the support the U.S. is providing to allow Israel to defend itself and bring the hostages home.

As I conveyed at the White House, this crisis also makes the national strategy to counter antisemitism — and our broader work to combat all forms of hate-fueled violence — even more critical.

We are already seeing some exploit the situation in Israel and Gaza to spread bigotry, disinformation, and extremism here in the United States — including specific acts of hate directed at the Jewish and Muslim communities — aimed at tearing our communities apart. We all have an obligation to call out this hate — and to help ensure that it does not derail our critical work bringing communities together in pursuit of an inclusive democracy where we are all safe.

The work ahead will not be easy. But we have no choice but to push forward — to stand with the Israeli people at this critical moment, to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate wherever they exist, and to keep fighting for a better, more peaceful future.

Amy

Amy Spitalnick

CEO

P.S. JCPA has been conveying this message in the media over the last few days, including on MSNBC, The Forward, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Haaretz, and more.