Joe Biden Addresses Rise in Anti-Semitism at White House Hanukkah Reception: 'Hate Will Not Prevail'

President Joe Biden on Monday issued a forceful rebuke of anti-semitism while delivering remarks at a White House Hanukkah ceremony.

Speaking to a crowd gathered o celebrate the ancient Jewish festival of lights, the president noted that this year's Hanukkah arrival comes "in the midst of rising emboldenment of antisemitism at home and, quite frankly, around the world."

"I recognize your fear, your hurt, your worry that this vile and venom is becoming too normal," Biden said. "As your President, I want to make this clear — as my dad would say, and many of you have said: Silence is complicity. We must not remain silent."

RELATED: President Biden Speaks Out in Wake of Kanye West's Antisemitic Remarks: 'Silence is Complicity"

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Biden continued: "Today, we must all say clearly and forcefully: Antisemitism and all forms of hate and violence in this country can have no safe harbor in America. Period. And evil — this is not hyperbole — evil will not win.  Hate will not prevail."

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 "Like this White House menorah, our commitment to the safety of the Jewish people and to the vibrancy of Jewish life that's tightly woven into every fabric of America, it's permanent," he added.  "Permanent."

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Biden closed by saying he felt "optimistic about America," introducing three special guests on hand to help light the menorah: Holocaust survivor Bronia Brandman, Ambassador Michèle Taylor (a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors) and Avi Heschel, the granddaughter of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Elsewhere during the Monday night event, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden introduced attendees to a new addition to the White House holiday collection: a menorah made of reclaimed beams from the White House itself.

"It's made of historic wood from the beams of this house, rescued when President Truman renovated this building," Dr. Biden explained. "Its hand-hammered silver cups are meant to magnify the glow of the candles, their beauty reminding us both [of] the Hanukkah miracle and the joy it inspired."

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Dr. Biden continued: "You know, other menorahs have been borrowed before — significant, and meaningful ones.  But the White House has never had its own menorah until now."

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The White House Hanukkah celebration comes weeks after the president denounced anti-semitic remarks made by Kanye West who — days after meeting with former President Donald Trump — said in an interview, "I like Hitler," denied that the Holocaust happened, and then posted a swastika on Twitter.

In a tweet published after West's remarks, Biden wrote: "I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened."

He continued: "Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity."

An audit conducted by the Anti-Defamation League and published earlier this year found that anti-semitic incidents reached an all-time high last year, with the organization's CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt saying in a release, "Jews are experiencing more antisemitic incidents than we have in this country in at least 40 years, and that's a deeply troubling indicator of larger societal fissures."