(Jewish Group) Pete Buttigieg: My administration will devote $1 billion to combat anti-Semitism and

Pete Buttigieg: My administration will devote $1 billion to combat anti-Semitism and other violent extremism

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP! RESPECT!!)

This is the second op-ed in a series of pieces about anti-Semitism and Jewish issues written by 2020 presidential candidates. This one is by Pete Buttigieg, 38, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

1. Anti-Semitic hate crimes are currently on the rise across the United States. In 2018, there were two deadly shootings at synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway, violent attacks now regularly plague the Jews of New York City and Jews continue to be the target of most religion-based hate crimes across the country. What is your plan to address the rise in anti-Semitism across the U.S.?

Addressing anti-Semitism must begin, first and foremost, with a president who is committed to opposing bigotry and hate in all its forms and who will forcefully condemn anti-Semitism wherever and whenever it arises. We currently have the opposite — a president who has refused to condemn white nationalists, brought individuals holding anti-Semitic views into his administration, and unapologetically employed anti-Semitic tropes himself.

I recently met with rabbis and other Jewish leaders in New York City to express my solidarity with the Jewish community following the recent anti-Semitic attacks there and to discuss how to combat rising anti-Semitism there and throughout our nation. What I heard most forcefully from the leaders with whom I met is the need for leadership that works to reduce fears rather than play to them. We have a president who exploits divisiveness for his own ends when we urgently need one who works to elevate discourse and heal divisions throughout our nation.

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