US President Joe Biden marks Hanukkah amid rising anti-Semitism

President Joe Biden condemned growing antisemitism in remarks for a Hanukkah reception at the White House that included a menorah lighting and blessing.

The menorah that was lit is first permanent White House menorah.

The Democratic president told guests at the Monday night event that silence is complicity, adding that it's imperative that hate, violence and antisemitism are condemned.

The holiday celebration comes during a spate of antisemitic episodes. Former President Donald Trump hosted a Holocaust-denying white supremacist at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. The rapper Ye expressed love for Adolf Hitler in an interview. Basketball star Kyrie Irving appeared to promote an antisemitic film on social media. Neo-Nazi trolls are clamoring to return to Twitter as new CEO Elon Musk grants "amnesty" to suspended accounts.

The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group, tracked 2,717 antisemitic instances of assault, harassment and vandalism last year, a 34% increase over the previous year and the highest number since the New York City-based group began tracking them in 1979.