Holocaust survivors, along with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, penned a letter to US President Joe Biden thanking him for his continued support for Israel as it responds to the “Nazi-like” slaughter of Israeli Jews by Hamas terrorists.
Shelley Rood Wernick, the Managing Director of the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma at the Jewish Federations of North America organized the letter.
According to a statement from the Jewish Federations of North America, Wernick’s aim was to help the survivors “express themselves and regain a small sense of agency.”
“We are honored to share with you the following letter signed by 2,486 people,” Wernick wrote to the president in an introductory letter. “This includes 870 Holocaust survivors, 952 children of Holocaust survivors, 606 grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, and 58 great-grandchildren of Holocaust survivors.”
In the letter from the Holocaust survivors, the survivors express their gratitude to Biden for the president’s support for Israel during its time of need. They go on to say that, as survivors of one of the worst atrocities in human history, they’ve seen the worst of humanity and have worked to build lives in the US and raise awareness about their experiences so that a Holocaust would never happen again.
The Jewish people have been attacked again
“Yet, the Jewish people have been massacred again. We are mourning and grieving the loss from the attacks of October 7, 2023,” the authors of the letter state, describing the loss of life that occurred from Hamas’s attack earlier this month.
The survivors described that, like the Nazis, Hamas went door to door, killing Jews.
“But today is different. Today we have Israel. Today we have the United States of America and a President willing to support the State of Israel and denounce antisemitism at home and abroad.”
The letter comes as an open letter from The National Muslim Democratic Council sent to President Biden called on him to immediately take steps to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
The letter asked the president to use his influence over the affairs pertaining to the Israel-Hamas war to secure such a cease-fire by 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
If the president does not do so, the letter from The National Muslim Democratic Council warns, Muslim Americans, along with some Democratic Party activists, will withhold votes and resources in Biden’s reelection campaign next year.
Biden’s commitment to Israel has indeed been firm and he has repeatedly reiterated his ongoing and eternal support for the State of Israel.
Further, as the conflict in Israel fuels acts of antisemitism around the world, such as the attempted pogrom this week at an airport in Dagestan, Biden has vowed his support to combat Jew-hatred.
For instance, officials from his administration this week pledged that they would come up with a plan to combat the rise in antisemitism seen on college campuses over the past weeks.