HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Many families in South Florida and across the country are sitting with loved ones for Seder service, marking the start of Passover, a time for celebration, but after a string of antisemitic acts, communities will be on high alert.
In recent months, communities have seen threatening graffiti, hateful pamphlets tossed into driveways and front lawns, and one Jewish man was even punched in the face while riding his bicycle in Hollywood.
According to the FBI, more than half of the religious hate crimes committed in 2021 were targeted at Jews.
President Joe Biden wrote an editorial on CNN, Wednesday.
“To the Jewish community, I want you to know that I see your fear, your hurt and your concern that this venom is being normalized,” Biden wrote.
Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, who leads the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, said the words come from his heart.
“I’ve heard him say it; I know he really believes it,” Lipstadt said. “There are others in government who really believe it.”
But she’s quick to say that government alone won’t solve the problem.
“It really calls for the public to speak out, to speak out and speak up, to make their voices heard,” she said.
With the start of Passover, Biden urged Americans, “Let us join hands across faiths, races, and backgrounds to make clear that evil will not win.”
“There will be differences of opinion at the table — that’s a given — but let’s learn how to talk to one another, let’s learn how to differ,” said Lipstadt. “It’s not either me or you, but we’ve got to find some common ground.”
Passover began Wednesday evening and runs through April 13.
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