What President Biden Did for Women and Girls

“It looks like you came prepared,” then-Vice President Joe Biden said to my son, who was wearing a belt made of red solo cups.

The belt was part of a costume — both my son and Biden were filming a Funny or Die video in support of the “It’s On Us” campaign, an initiative of the Obama Administration designed to encourage young men to step up as allies to end sexual assault on college campuses. In the gently silly video, Biden and Adam Devine go undercover as college students. When the then-vice president removes his aviators and reveals his identity, he eloquently shares how it is incumbent upon all of us to end violence against women. 

Jewish Women International was honored to be among a handful of organizations invited to the White House to see the “It’s On Us” campaign before it launched. While it was an administration-wide initiative, it was clear that President Biden was the face of it. After all, the work was authentic to him, and an obvious continuation of his legislative efforts.

From authoring the Violence Against Women Act to creating the White House Gender Policy Council and tapping the first woman to serve as his vice president, the world is forever changed for the better because of President Biden. I will forever be grateful for the inspiration he gave to my son, who now serves as an officer in the U.S. Navy. As a military parent, I am grateful to have a Commander-in-Chief who knows what it means to have a child serve.

Over the years, in my capacity as CEO of Jewish Women International, I have had the privilege of attending many events at the White House. Early on, I learned that then Vice President Biden could be counted on to show up a little late and to speak for significantly longer than scheduled. 

But, I have to admit, as many times as I heard some of the same stories, I never minded hearing them again, never minded that the remarks ran long. The stories he shares, while folksy and sometimes corny, belie a warmth and authenticity. Through his stories, we learned about why the issues he fights for matter to him. We learn about the real people who inspired his decades of service. It is inspiring to listen to someone with such a tremendous legacy and depth of knowledge — not only caring about the issue, but spearheading groundbreaking legislation that truly made the world better for women.

There is a decency to Joe Biden, a belief in the goodness of humankind. JWI has a long history of working with him since his days in the Senate, most notably on the creation and passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. And in the same way he stands for women, I also believe Joe Biden is a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people. Perhaps because he is a man of faith, there was an authenticity to his reason for running in 2020 — the horror of the antisemitism and white supremacy on display in Charlottesville. I’ll never forget the way he spoke fondly about “his rabbi” in Delaware, and how he may have gone to synagogue more than some of the people gathered for the Jewish History Month celebration at the White House. And I will always remember that he was the first world leader to call out Hamas for the rapes they committed during the attacks of Oct. 7.

While we were quietly being cautioned to wait for “proof” before saying anything, President Biden publicly spoke out — loudly and firmly — calling out the sexual violence and clearly attributing it to Hamas. His stance rippled throughout his administration — they would stand for women and for Jews. JWI has engaged in several meetings since, with Vice President Harris’ team and with the Gender Policy Council, to discuss what could be done to hold Hamas accountable.

While we were quietly being cautioned to wait for “proof” before saying anything, President Biden publicly spoke out — loudly and firmly — calling out the sexual violence and clearly attributing it to Hamas. 

Just weeks ago, on the global day against the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, Vice President Harris hosted an event that focused on the sexual violence of Oct. 7 — not only screening the documentary “Screams Before Silence,” but inviting rescued hostage and rape survivor Amit Soussana to speak.

But of all my memories of Joe Biden, there is a moment I will never forget. 

The Biden administration hosted the first-ever High Holy Day gathering at the White House. While it may be hard to imagine a group of Jews becoming quiet, we all became silent when classical violinist and Israeli American Itzhak Perlman began to play “Avinu Malkeinu,” the classic Yom Kippur song that tells of God’s omnipotence and implores for divine intervention.

Not more than a whisper, someone began to sing. Voices quietly joined — not so much as a song, but as a group of individuals praying, a community humbly begging God to forgive us and to protect us. 

I don’t quite have the words to describe what it felt like. But I remember my mouth forming the words, and as my head turned, my eyes fell upon the portraits of the presidents that hung on the walls. I looked at my friends and my colleagues, who represent our Jewish community, praying alongside me. 

I will never take it for granted that President Biden made this possible. It was a true embodiment of the person that he is, and that we can never take our freedoms for granted.

Meredith Jacobs is CEO of Jewish Women International, the leading Jewish organization fighting to end gender-based violence.