On Thursday, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff assured a gathering of Jewish Democrats, “I’m going to keep talking about the brisket,” as he reiterated his commitment to combating antisemitism from the White House.
Emhoff spoke just hours before his wife, Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), was scheduled to address the Democratic National Convention to accept the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
Emhoff spoke at the start of a panel on combating antisemitism. His remarks were mostly nonpartisan, except for his enthusiastic endorsement of his wife’s candidacy—coinciding with their tenth wedding anniversary.
He revealed that Vice President Kamala Harris had urged him to take an active role in leading the fight against antisemitism.
Emhoff added that, although his own Jewish practices might not be as observant as those of some others, they are no less proud and authentic.
The mention of ‘brisket’ referred to his speech at the convention on Tuesday night, where he spoke about his wife’s cooking. He noted that it reminded him of his Jewish grandmother’s “plastic-covered couches” in Brooklyn. Emhoff emphasized his strong connection to Judaism, which is more cultural than religious but remains significant.
The panel that followed Emhoff’s departure was sharply partisan.
Participants argued that the primary threat to Jews in the U.S. was “white Christian nationalism.” They also claimed that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) displayed the “white Christian nationalist flag”—a reference to the historic Pine Tree Flag flown by George Washington—outside his office. Additionally, they asserted that antisemitism began to rise after the Charlottesville riot in 2017, contrary to the Anti-Defamation League’s acknowledgment that it increased during the final two years of the Obama administration.
The panel did not address the threat of Islamic antisemitism.
Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC) highlighted that the real “shock” within the Jewish community was discovering that the new antisemitism was originating from the left.
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