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Vice President Harris marked the one year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that was met with a loud demonstration outside her residence in Washington.
Harris made her speech over the sounds of sirens and people chanting near the Naval Observatory on Massachusetts Avenue. Protesters could be heard chanting, yelling, banging drums and using bull horns while she spoke.
The vice president spoke over those sounds about the pain and loss suffered by Israelis on Oct. 7 when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took hundreds of hostages to Gaza in the worst attack on Israel in its history.
“Today, I know many Jews will be reciting and reflecting on the Kaddish. The words of the prayer are not about death. It is a prayer about our enduring belief in God, even in our darkest moments,” the vice president said. “So as we reflect on the horrors of Oct 7, let us please be reminded that we cannot lose faith.”
Harris’s speech on Monday was not interrupted but she has been met with protesters at campaign rallies throughout the country, including in Michigan and Arizona, where she has had to pause and address the demonstrators.
Arab Americans have taken issue with the Biden’s administration's response to the war in Gaza, which began after Oct. 7, in which tens of thousands of Palestinians have died and over the U.S. being Israel’s key supplier of weapons.
Arab Americans are proving to be a voting bloc that could be problematic for Harris heading into November. A poll released last week by the Arab American Institute showed former President Trump ahead of Harris, an example of the eroding support from a group that more often leans Democratic.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, joined Harris in delivering remarks, calling the events of Oct. 7 “seared into our souls.” The two then walked over to two shovels on the property and put dirt over a small tree to plant a pomegranate tree, which represents hope and righteousness in Judaism.
While they shoveled dirt onto the tree, the sirens and yelling from outside the residence persisted, but what the protesters were saying was not audible to those inside the residence’s grounds.
Harris said at the event that the tree will be a reminder to future vice presidents and others who pass through “not only of the horror of Oct. 7 but the strength and the endurance of the Jewish people.”
“It will remind us all not to abandon the goal of peace, dignity and security for all. And it will remind us all to always have faith,” she said.
Harris then stopped to take a reporter’s question regarding reaching a cease-fire agreement that has proved to be wrought and elusive.
“We’re doing everything we can possibly do to get the ceasefire hostage deal done. It’s one of the most important ways we will be able to end this war and bring any type of stability to the region. It’s one of the highest priorities of this administration,” she said.
Earlier Monday, President Biden and first lady Jill Biden held a candle lighting in remembrance of the victims of Oct. 7 at the White House. Rabbi Aaron Alexander joined them and recited the “El Malei Rachamim” prayer, which translates to "God full of Mercy.” Biden also spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), stopped by the Nova Music Festival Exhibition in Culver City outside of Los Angeles on Monday. He got a private tour of the exhibit led by Noa Beer, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attack.
English (US) ·