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Biden honors Lubavitcher rebbe on ‘Education and Sharing Day’

“We honor the Rebbe’s birthday every year, but we know this year is different,” the U.S. president stated.

Lubavitcher Rebbe
Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis pray at the gravesite of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, in the Queens borough of New York on November 25, 2016. Credit: Eliyahu Parypa/Chabad.org.

U.S. President Joe Biden recognized Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, on Thursday and declared Friday “Education and Sharing Day, USA.”

Schneerson was born 122 years ago on April 18. The 30th anniversary of his death is June 12.

“We honor the Rebbe’s birthday every year, but we know this year is different. Violence and cruelty have reminded us that hate never goes away—it only hides,” the president stated. “Silence is complicity, and America will not be silent. As Americans, we reject terrorism and will keep working unequivocally to combat antisemitism at every turn.”

“The Rebbe knew that education is fundamental to cultivating understanding and acceptance. It opens us up to one another, and it builds not just knowledge but character, as well as an awareness of something bigger than ourselves,” Biden said.

“I think they’re much more susceptible to being targeted if a public official wants to target them, if a community wants to target them,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer told JNS.
The reversal “sends an unfortunate signal at a time of rising antisemitism and sustained efforts to isolate Israel economically,” Evan R. Bernstein, CEO of B’nai B’rith International, told JNS.
Israel’s foreign minister called it a historic day for ties between the two countries and an important day for the capital.
“People need to be aware, and institutions need to repair,” Miri Bar-Halpern told JNS. “Clinicians are engaging in activism. It’s not about therapy anymore.”