The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Obama: ‘We are all Jews’ in face of rising anti-Semitism

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January 28, 2016 at 6:55 a.m. EST
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks to reporters during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the White House in Washington January 19, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

President Obama warned of rising anti-Semitism on Wednesday and, citing the words of an American World War II hero, proclaimed that Christians and people of other faiths can say "we are all Jews" in solidarity.

The president made his remark during a ceremony at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, where he took part in the first Righteous Among Nations awards banquet held in the United States. Two Americans and a Polish couple were posthumously honored for their efforts to save Jewish lives against Nazi atrocities during the war.