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Haaretz: Biden Welcomes Major Group’s Endorsement in Bid to Stir U.S. Jewish Support

April 26, 2020

WASHINGTON – Former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaing is focusing on increasing support within the Jewish community, and on Friday welcomed an endorsement by the Jewish Democratic Council of America, an organization representing Jewish activists, politicians and donors in the Democratic Party.

The endorsement by JDCA came a week after Biden was endorsed by J Street, a leading left-wing Jewish group that promotes a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In both cases, Biden released written statements welcoming the endorsements by the Jewish organizations and highlighting the values that he shares with them…

In endorsing Biden, the JDCA explained that during his five decades in politics, Biden has “fought for the issues that matter to Jewish Americans – ensuring access to affordable health care and education, promoting equality and social justice, protecting democratic institutions and the right to vote, mitigating the impact of climate change, and furthering the rights of women and minorities.”

The group also stated that Biden “shares the Jewish community’s commitment to the principle of tikkun olam (Hebrew for healing the world) in addition to our commitment to combating the rise of anti-Semitism and supporting a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.”

The organization also noted that Biden launched his presidential campaign with a video focusing on the far-right violence committed at the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Trump’s reference to some of the neo-Nazis who instigated it as “very fine people.” Biden often mentions Charlottesville in his speeches and appearances, and uses Trump’s reply to those events as proof that the upcoming election is “a fight for the soul of the nation.”

The endorsement letter was signed by the organization’s board of directors. They also mentioned the “startling rise of anti- Semitism” in America, that “has left more than two-thirds of Jewish voters feeling less secure today than they did two years ago.” Biden has also mentioned this issue several times in speeches and appearances.