White House Announces 2024 Easter Egg Roll

In a Release (full text) yesterday, the White House announced information on the 2024 White House Easter Egg Roll. The traditional event, which is geared toward children 12 years of age and under, will be held on the White House South Lawn on Monday, April 1. Between now and March 4, the public may enter the free lottery for tickets. Applications to volunteer to assist at the event may also be submitted online. The White House Easter Egg Roll has been held annually (with a few exceptions) since 1878.

White House Fact Sheet Focuses on Administration's Protection of Access to Reproductive Health Care

On Monday, which was the 51st anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, the White House issued a Fact Sheet (full text) announcing new actions to protect access to reproductive health care. According to the Whtie House, these include:

The Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services (HHS) are issuing new guidance to clarify standards and support expanded coverage of a broader range of FDA-approved contraceptives at no cost under the Affordable Care Act....

The Secretary of HHS is issuing a letter to private health insurers, state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs, and Medicare plans about their obligations to cover contraception for those they serve....

... The Administration is committed to helping ensure all patients, including women who are experiencing pregnancy loss and other pregnancy-related emergencies, have access to emergency medical care required under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). The Administration has long taken the position that the required emergency care can, in some circumstances, include abortion care. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is defending that interpretation of the law before the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule by June. 

To increase awareness of EMTALA and improve the procedures for ensuring that patients facing all types of medical emergencies receive the care to which they are entitled, HHS is announcing today a comprehensive plan to educate all patients about their rights and to help ensure hospitals meet their obligations under federal law....

The Fact Sheet went on to outline at length steps the Administration has taken to protect access to abortion, including medication abortion, and to contraception. The Fact Sheet comes as the White House is convening the fourth meeting of its Task Force on Reproductive Health Care.

Today Is Religious Freedom Day

Today is Religious Freedom Day, commemorating Virginia's adoption of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16, 1786. President Biden last week signed a Proclamation (full text) designating today as Religious Freedom Day in 2024.  The Proclamation reads in part:

Everyone must be free to practice their faith without fear, whether they are gathering for worship, attending a religious school, participating in the activities of other faith-based organizations, or simply walking down the street wearing the symbols of their faith.  That is why, working with the Congress, my Administration secured the greatest increase in funding in our history for the physical security of non-profits — including churches, gurdwaras, mosques, synagogues, temples, and other places of worship.  In my 2024 Budget proposal to the Congress, I requested that this funding be raised to $360 million, and my Administration works continually to protect places of worship, including through an annual Protecting Places of Worship Week of Action.

President Hosts White House Hanukkah Reception

On Monday evening, President Biden hosted a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House. AP reports on the reception. The President spoke for ten minutes at the reception (full text of remarks), focusing in large part on the ongoing battle between Israel and Hamas. He said in part:

Most of you know someone directly or indirectly — a family, a friend — that was stolen from you or wounded, traumatized, or called up in the reserves in this last attack in Israel.

As I said after the attack, my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist ... as an independent Jewish state is ... just unshakeable.

Folks, were there no Israel, there wouldn’t be a Jew in the world who was safe....

And I make no bones about it.  I’ve had my differences with some Israeli leadership.  I’ve known Bibi for now 51 years.  He has a picture on his desk of he and I when he was a young member of the Israeli ... foreign service, and I was a 32-year-old senator.  And I wrote on the top of it, “Bibi, I love you, but I don’t agree with a damn thing you have to say.”  (Laughter.)

White House Summarizes Recent Initiatives to Combat Antisemitism and Islamophobia at Schools and Colleges

The White House yesterday issued a Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Takes Action to Address Alarming Rise of Reported Antisemitic and Islamophobic Events at Schools and on College Campuses.  It announces recent initiatives and updated resources from the Department of Justice, the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Homeland Security to counter the increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents at schools and colleges since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.

White House Will Develop National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia

The Whtie House announced yesterday that the Biden-Harris Administration will develop the first National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia in the United States. The announcement (full text) said in part:

For too long, Muslims in America, and those perceived to be Muslim, such as Arabs and Sikhs, have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks and other discriminatory incidents. We all mourn the recent barbaric killing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian American Muslim boy, and the brutal attack on his mother in their home outside Chicago.

Today’s announcement is the latest step as part of President Biden’s directive last year to establish an interagency group to increase and better coordinate U.S. Government efforts to counter Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and related forms of bias and discrimination within the United States.

President Sends Rosh Hashanah Greetings

The White House today posted a Rosh Hashanah Statement from the President saying in part:

I’ve always believed that the message of Rosh Hashanah is universal. As Americans, the power lies within each of us to make our country more free and fair, to transform the story of our time, and to heal the soul of our nation.

Throughout the High Holidays and in the year ahead, let us summon the courage to reflect on who we are and extend compassion, love, and kindness to all. Let us celebrate and protect generations of Jewish Americans whose values, culture, and contributions have shaped our character as a nation, and enriched every part of American life. And let us remember the common values that bind us together as fellow Americans.

Jill and I extend our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Rosh Hashanah in the United States, Israel, and around the world.

Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown this evening.

White House Releases National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism

The White House today released The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism (full text). The 60-page document sets out a strategy with four pillars:

• Pillar 1: Increase Awareness and Understanding of Antisemitism, Including its Threat to America, and Broaden Appreciation of Jewish American Heritage.
• Pillar 2: Improve Safety and Security for Jewish Communities.
• Pillar 3: Reverse the Normalization of Antisemitism and Counter Antisemitic Discrimination.
• Pillar 4: Build Cross-Community Solidarity and Collective Action to Counter Hate.

It lists over 100 actions the Administration plans to take.  Introducing the details of plans to increase awareness and understanding of antisemitism, the document says in part:

Antisemitism is a stereotypical and negative perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred of Jews. It is prejudice, bias, hostility, discrimination, or violence against Jews for being Jews or Jewish institutions or property for being Jewish or perceived as Jewish. Antisemitism can manifest as a form of racial, religious, national origin, and/or ethnic discrimination, bias, or hatred; or, a combination thereof. However, antisemitism is not simply a form of prejudice or hate. It is also a pernicious conspiracy theory that often features myths about Jewish power and control.

There are several definitions of antisemitism, which serve as valuable tools to raise awareness and increase understanding of antisemitism. The most prominent is the non-legally binding “working definition” of antisemitism adopted in 2016 by the 31-member states of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which the United States has embraced. In addition, the Administration welcomes and appreciates the Nexus Document and notes other such efforts.

The White House also released a Fact Sheet summarizing the National Strategy. Jewish Insider reports on the National Strategy.

White House Advisor: Strategy to Counter Domestic Terrorism and Antisemitism Will Be Completed This Month

On Tuesday, the White House posted the Remarks by Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall to the Anti-Defamation League (full text) delivered at the ADL's National Leadership Summit. Dr. Sherwood-Randall said in part:

Ethnic and religious hatred is being normalized in our melting pot. Antisemitism is being normalized – its more mainstream, it’s out in the open. And, most disturbingly, violence against Jews is being normalized....

So it was with urgency that President Biden charged us with crafting this country’s first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism.  We started this work on literally the first day of the Administration. Then, as part of that larger effort, we embarked on the first National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism specifically....

Dr. Sherwood-Randall said that they expect to complete their work on a national strategy by the end of May.

White House Celebrates 2nd Anniversary of Its Office of Faith-Based Partnerships

Last Friday, the White House issued a Fact Sheet titled Biden-⁠Harris Administration Celebrates the Second Anniversary of the Reestablishment of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (full text). Among other things, the Fact Sheet discusses ten initiatives undertaken with the goal of "Safeguarding the right to practice faith without fear and other aspects of religious freedom."

White House Hosts Summit Addressing Hate-Motivated Violence

Yesterday President Biden hosted the United We Stand Summit at the White House directed at countering hate-motivated violence. The President spoke at the Summit for nearly 25 minutes (full text of remarks), calling on Congress to pass budget increases to protect nonprofits and houses of worship from hate-fueled violence, and to pass legislation to hold social media platforms accountable for spreading hate-fueled violence. He said in part:

There is a through-line of hate from massacres of Indigenous people, to the original sin of slavery, the terror of the Klan, to ... anti-immigration violence against the Irish, Italians, Chinese, Mexicans, and so many others laced throughout our history.

There is a through-line of violence against religious groups: antisemitic, anti-Catholic, anti-Mormon, anti-Muslim, anti-Hindu, anti-Sikh.

Look, folks, and that through-line of hate never fully goes away.  It only hides.

The White House also issued a Fact Sheet on the Summit, announcing a number of new government and private initiatives to address hate-fueled violence. Several clergy were among the "Uniters" honored at the Summit.

Bidens Extend Wishes for Eid Mubarak To Muslims Around The World

The Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr began at sundown last night. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden issued a Statement (full text) yesterday extending warmest wishes and Eid Mubarak to those celebrating the end of Ramadan. The Statement says in part:

This year, as we mark Eid al-Fitr, we hold in our hearts the millions of displaced persons and refugees around the globe who are spending this sacred holiday separated from their families and unsure of their future, but still hoping for a brighter tomorrow. As a nation we must always keep faith with those seeking a better life, and uphold our commitment to serving as a beacon of hope for oppressed people around the world. And, Muslims across the United States celebrate Eid, let us renew our dedication to our foundational commitment to respecting all faiths and beliefs.

The President and First Lady later today will host a reception in the East Room to celebrate Eid.

UPDATE: Here are the President's remarks at the White House Eid reception.

Second Gentleman Emhoff Is At Center Of White House Passover Celebrations

The Jewish festival of Passover begins at sundown this evening. Yesterday, the White House held a virtual Seder which was streamed live and is available on YouTube. Labelled "The People's Seder," Jewish Americans from around the country spoke or made presentations.  The Seder was hosted by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and was emceed by Chanan Y. Weissman, the White House’s liaison to the Jewish community. Tonight, Vice President Harris and Emhoff, who is Jewish, will host a Seder at the Vice President's official residence. According to CNN:

Harris told Israeli President Isaac Herzog during their phone call Thursday that she would hold a Seder in person at the Naval Observatory, according to a White House official.

The official said Harris and Emhoff will be joined by Jewish members of their staff and their loved ones.

White House Celebrates One Year Of Faith-Based Partnerships

The White House yesterday issued Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Celebrates First Anniversary of the Reestablishment of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, which reads in part:

Our country has made great progress thanks to neighborhood partnerships and compassionate leaders of all faiths and beliefs, whether it was hosting vaccination clinics, preventing evictions, helping to ensure that children get back to school and workers get jobs, or countless other acts of service. The Biden-Harris Administration is also working tirelessly to advance policies promoting religious equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility and protecting the fundamental right to practice faith without fear, especially in light of the troubling rise of antisemitic, xenophobic, and bigoted attacks against people of faith—targeting synagogues, predominantly Black churches, and Muslim and Sikh communities, among other communities. In addition, the Administration has prioritized the cultivation of a spirit of welcome for people of all religious, political, and ideological stripes; a commitment to treating everyone with equal respect and dignity; and the hard but essential work of building bridges across differences in background and beliefs.

The Fact Sheet goes on to list 40 achievements during the past year that advance these partnerships and policies.

White House Announces Diplomatic Boycott Of Olympics To Protest Uyghur Genocide

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced on Monday a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics to protest genocide being committed against the Uyghurs and other religious minorities in Xinjiang province:

The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games given the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses. 

The athletes on Team USA have our full support.  We will be behind them 100 percent as we cheer them on from home.  We will not be contributing to the fanfare of the Games. 

U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these Games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang. And we simply can’t do that. 

As the President has told President Xi, standing up for human rights is in the DNA of Americans.  We have a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights.  And we feel strongly in our position, and we will continue to take actions to advance human rights in China and beyond.

White House Hosts Hanukkah Celebration

CNN Reports on yesterday's Hanukkah celebration at the White House, saying in part:

The first and second families held a menorah lighting ceremony to celebrate Hanukkah at the White House on Wednesday evening, marking the first time the holiday has been celebrated at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the Jewish spouse of a president or vice president.

"This is a White House tradition, but for the first time in history it is a family tradition," President Joe Biden said during the event in the East Room. He said the White House was honored to have second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, leading the lighting.

Here is a video of the 30 minute ceremony, via PBS.  The Forward has background on Hanukkah celebrations at the White House.

White House Announces Liaison To Jewish Community

The White House announced yesterday that Chanan Weissman will serve as the Biden-Harris Administration's liaison to the Jewish community. He served in the same role in the Obama administration.

Emhoff Hosts Online White House Seder

As reported by The Forward, the White House yesterday held an online Passover Seder hosted by Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a President of Vice-President.  President Joe Biden delivered brief remarks during the one-hour program in which Los Angeles Rabbi Sharon Brous led the nearly 10,000 online viewers through the major parts of the Seder. Various White House staffers took participated in the presentation.

Biden Re-Establishes White House Faith-Based Partnerships Office

Yesterday President Joseph Biden issued an Executive Order (full text) once again establishing a White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The accompanying Fact Sheet says in part:

The Partnerships Office’s initial work will include collaborating with civil society to: address the COVID-19 pandemic and boost economic recovery; combat systemic racism; increase opportunity and mobility for historically disadvantaged communities; and strengthen pluralism. The office will also support agency partnerships that advance the United States Government’s diplomatic, international development, and humanitarian work around the world....

Fundamental to these goals is respecting our cherished guarantees of church-state separation and freedom for people of all faiths and none.... The Partnerships Office, for example, will not prefer one faith over another or favor religious over secular organizations. Instead, it will work with every willing partner to promote the common good, including those who have differences with the Administration.

According to the Fact Sheet, Melissa Rogers will serve as Executive Director of the Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Office, and as Senior Director for Faith and Public Policy in the White House Domestic Policy Council. Josh Dickson will serve as the Office's Deputy Director.

"Prosperity Gospel" Minister Joins White House Staff

New York Times reported last week that Florida-based evangelist Paula White will join the White House staff in an official capacity. She will work in the Office of Public Liaison as an adviser to the administration's Faith and Opportunity Initiative. White has been part of President Trump's informal religious advisers.  As a proponent of the "prosperity gospel", White is controversial among some Evangelicals.