The husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, Douglas Emhoff, brought a message about combating “hate” as the special guest for the annual lighting of the National Hanukkah Menorah on Sunday.

“Like so many of us gathered here today, my family members left Europe in search of safety and security. They came to the United States, among the huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. They built a life here: raised children, opened businesses, worshiped at synagogues. And yet, we know, the freedom that my family members, that American Jews everywhere, have yearned for and championed … the freedom that our nation promises to all those who live and worship here … That freedom has, at times, been undermined by hate,” Emhoff will say, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks released by the White House.