第二位先生道格·艾姆霍夫(Doug Emhoff)周二在一个关于美国犹太军事历史的虚拟活动上发表讲话时，呼吁人们关注反犹太主义的“流行”，并反思他所创造的历史。
“这个角色使我能够使用这个麦克风大声说话，就不仅对我们犹太人，而且对我们所有人——全世界——都很重要的问题大声说话，”娱乐律师、第一位总统或副总统的犹太配偶艾姆霍夫在纪念犹太人在美国的成就和历史的犹太裔美国人传统月的最后一天说。
“正如副总统前几天在布法罗雄辩地说的那样:这是仇恨的流行病，”艾姆霍夫说，他指的是妻子卡玛拉·哈里斯纽约之旅五月初，在一个以黑人为主的社区，一家超市发生了10人被枪杀的事件。嫌疑枪手的作品包括反黑人和反犹太人的刮板;另外，倡导团体称反犹太主义事件2021年创下新高。
“这是一种仇恨的流行，不仅包括反犹太主义，还包括所有形式的仇恨，”艾姆霍夫周二表示。“我们作为犹太人，我们作为美国人，我们都需要站起来大声疾呼。”
艾姆霍夫也谈得更个人化，说对他犹太第二绅士身份的反应让他吃惊。虽然他的信仰对他来说一直是一件大事，“我没想到我的犹太信仰在这个角色中会如此重要，”他说。
“我去过学校做matzah(犹太人逾越节时吃的大饼)，我和我父亲85岁的朋友聊过天，你知道，他们和他聊过天，他们会告诉他我对他们来说有多重要，”他继续说道。
虽然他对他人的重要性令他惊讶，但他对此很认真，他说:“这与政党或类似的事情无关。只是看到我扮演这个角色，让人们产生了一些他们自己都不知道的感觉...这真的促使我尽我所能做到最好。”
他说，“作为一名美国犹太人，我能够公开而快乐地生活，就像我一直做的那样，但公开这样做，确实对人们产生了影响。”
艾姆霍夫以第二绅士的身份参加了公开和私人的犹太活动，像第一夫人的角色一样，包括一些礼仪职责和支持特定的事业。去年12月，他帮助点亮了白宫附近的国家光明节烛台。在他周二的讲话中，他回顾了其他露面。
“无论是在副总统的住所悬挂第一个mezuzah(一个装有一些经文的卷轴的盒子)，在那里举行第一次亲自(逾越节)逾越节家宴……在住所点燃一个烛台……只是出现，只是向所有人展示我们在做什么，就像我们一直做的那样，但只是让美国人民和世界看到这真的，真的令人难以置信，”埃姆霍夫说。
乔·拜登总统纪念美国犹太传统月发布公告他在四月底强调了犹太裔美国人在建设美国和为公共生活做出的贡献。
拜登说:“美国的故事在一定程度上是由犹太裔美国人书写的，他们通过自己的言论和行动，接受了作为公民的机会和责任，他们非常清楚，民主不是偶然诞生的，也不是偶然持续的。”。
他还谴责反犹太主义的增长:“随着白人至上和反犹太暴力的祸害上升，我的政府仍然致力于确保仇恨没有避风港。”
Doug Emhoff rebukes antisemitism, reflects on how his historic role 'pushes' him
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff called attention to the "epidemic" of antisemitism and reflected on the history he has made while speaking Tuesday at a virtual event on U.S. Jewish military history.
"This role has enabled me to use this microphone to speak out and to speak up on issues that are important to not only us Jews but all of us -- all around the world," Emhoff, an entertainment attorney and the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, said on the final day of Jewish American Heritage Month honoring the accomplishments and history of Jews in the United States.
"And as the vice president said so eloquently in Buffalo the other day: It's an epidemic of hate," Emhoff said, referencing wife Kamala Harris'trip to New Yorkin the wake of the fatal shooting of 10 people at a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood earlier in May. The suspected shooter's writingsincludedboth anti-Black and anti-Jewish screeds; separately, advocacy groups say antisemitic incidentshit a high in 2021.
"It's an epidemic of hate that not only includes antisemitism but includes all forms of hate," Emhoff said Tuesday. "And we as Jews, and we as Americans, we all need to stand up and speak up."
Emhoff also talked more personally, saying that the reaction to his identity as a Jewish second gentleman surprised him. While his faith was always a big deal to him, "I did not expect my Jewish faith to be such a big deal in this role," he said.
"I've been at schools making matzah [flatbread eaten on the Jewish holiday of Passover], I've talked to my dad's 85-year-old friends who, you know, gossip with him and they'll tell him how much I mean to them," he continued.
Though his importance to others surprised him, he took it seriously, he said: "It has nothing to do with political party or anything like that. It's just seeing me in this role, it has engendered some feelings in people they didn't even know they had ... it really pushes me to do as well as I can."
"To be able to live openly and joyfully as an American Jew, as I always have, but to do it so publicly, has really impacted people," he said.
Emhoff has participated in both public and private Jewish events in his capacity as second gentlemen, which like the role of first lady includes a number of ceremonial duties and the championing of select causes. He helped light the national menorah for Hanukkah last December near the White House. In his Tuesday remarks, he looked back at other appearances.
"Whether it's hanging the first mezuzah [a box containing a scroll with some scripture] at the vice president's residence, having the first in-person [Passover] Seder there … lighting a menorah at the residence … and to just show up, just show everyone what we're doing, like we've always done, but just to have the American people and the world see it is just really, really incredible," Emhoff said.
President Joe Biden marked Jewish American Heritage Monthwith a proclamationat the end of April where he emphasized the contributions of Jewish Americans in building the U.S. and contributing to public life.
"The story of America was written, in part, by Jewish Americans who, through their words and actions, embraced the opportunity and responsibility of citizenship knowing full well that democracy is not born, nor sustained, by accident," Biden said.
He also denounced the increase in antisemitism: "As the scourge of white supremacy and antisemitic violence rises, my Administration remains committed to ensuring that hate has no safe harbor."
