The administration is in something of a tough spot, as the rise in anti-Semitism can largely be traced to social media
After a series of very high-profile anti-Semitic incidents, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff decided to convene a roundtable meeting at the White House with senior administration officials such as domestic policy council director Susan Rice and anti-Semitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt, and representatives of some 20 Jewish organizations, from the Presidents’ Conference to the AJC, the anti-Defamation League, and religious groups such as the OU, Agudas Yisrael, and Chabad.
I was present for the first part of the roundtable meeting, which was open to the press, in which Emhoff spoke of his Jewish pride and refusal to be intimidated. Emhoff said that an epidemic of hate is spreading across the US and that the administration is ready to combat it.
The tone was blunt and direct, but the real meeting only began after the cameras were turned off and we in the press were asked to leave the room, with each group’s representative being asked to share his views.
The administration is in something of a tough spot, as the rise in anti-Semitism can largely be traced to social media. And even when users are posting under their real names, anti-Semitic incitement often comes in the form of dog-whistling — i.e., statements clearly referencing Jews, but sufficiently vague to fall under the First Amendment right of free speech.
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