During a video call with rabbis before Rosh Hashanah on Thursday, Biden seemed to suggest he visited the synagogue building sometime after the massacre that resulted in 11 deaths.
“And [hate has] been given too much oxygen in the last four, five, seven, 10 years, and it has seen itself, whether it was — I remember spending time at the — you know, going to the — you know, the Tree of Life synagogue, speaking with the — just — it just is amazing these things are happening, happening in America,” Biden said.
In response to press inquiries about the president's statement, White House officials said Friday that Biden "was referring to a call he had with the Tree of Life rabbi in 2019," according to the New York Post.
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At one point during the Thursday call, Biden fought to remember the name of the song "Hava Nagila" while citing his daughter's wedding to a Jewish man.
“My mind is going blank now, what’s the song that is played where everybody is on the chair? I can’t remember it," Biden said.
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The congregation's rabbi, Hazzan Jeffrey Myers, signaled there was no disrespect felt from the president's remarks on Thursday, according to the White House statement. “President Biden kindly called me on my cell phone as I was sitting in Dulles Airport awaiting a return flight to Pittsburgh after I testified before Congress in July 2019,” Myers said.
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“In a heartfelt way, he extended his condolences and asked how we were doing. We spoke about the challenges of antisemitism, and he made clear he would confront it with us as president. The conversation meant a great deal to me, and I will always be grateful for his kind words and continued support of our community," Myers added.
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The massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue is assumed to be the most severe anti-Jewish hate crime in United States history, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Former President Donald Trump went to the synagogue three days following the shooting and was followed by several Jewish members of his administration.
The 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life was the worst anti-Jewish hate crime in US history.
Biden has a name for making false or embellished claims and dropped out of his first presidential campaign in 1988 due to a plagiarism scandal. But at nearly 79 years old, his mental acuity also is a frequent matter of public debate.
In one infamous misstatement, Biden in 2020 claimed he "had the great honor of being arrested" in South Africa when he was "trying to get to see [Nelson Mandela] on Robbens Island," where Mandela was in prison until 1990. He said Mandela thanked him for it.
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