Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged in a speech on Friday to stand by U.S. Jewish communities ahead of the High Holidays and the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, committing to “aggressively investigate and prosecute acts and threats of violence fueled by antisemitism and by hatred of any kind” as Jews gather in synagogues next week for Rosh Hashanah.

“And as we approach one year since the Oct. 7 attacks, we do so at a time when Jews across the country will soon be observing the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,” Garland said on Friday in a press conference announcing the results of an unrelated criminal matter. “For Jews, this is a period of solemn reflection and prayer. It is a time to gather together to worship and to be in community with each other. It should not be a time of fear.” 

Garland also drew attention to the federal charges brought against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas operatives earlier this month and pledged to continue targeting Hamas operatives. (None of the Hamas leaders charged in the indictment have been arrested, nor has the U.S. announced plans to seek their extradition.)

“Those charges are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations. There will be more to come,” Garland said, hinting at further Justice Department action against the terrorist group. “We are committed to pursuing the terrorists responsible for murdering Americans — and those who illegally provide them with material support — for the rest of their lives.”

In the same speech, Garland also discussed the Justice Department’s efforts to go after Iran.

“There are few actors in this world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism. Iran’s malign activities are wide-ranging,” he said.

He said the U.S. is tracking “lethal plotting against current and former U.S. government officials, including former President [Donald] Trump” and seeking to “disrupt Iran’s funding and support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist groups.” Further, he honed in on “Iran’s efforts to stoke discord, to undermine confidence in our democratic institutions and to influence our elections,” on the same day the Treasury Department announced sanctions targeting Iranian officials who sought to interfere in American elections. 

Garland, who is Jewish, has spoken emotionally about his personal commitment to fighting antisemitism. In June, he teared up when describing his “personal history of relatives who escaped the Holocaust and some who did not.”

The fight against antisemitism “also matters to me personally because I’m part of a contemporary community that has a widespread and well-founded fear of antisemitic hatred,” Garland said in June. “So let me say both to the Jewish community and to those who would do it harm, the Justice Department will not tolerate criminal acts motivated by antisemitic hate. We will find those people who are perpetrators and we will hold them accountable.”