A group of nearly 700 Jewish university professors signed a letter to President Biden on Wednesday, encouraging him not to support the controversial Anti-Semitism Awareness Act.
Scholars questioned the law’s use of the International Holocaust Awareness Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which raised concerns that legitimate criticism of the State of Israel could be seen as anti-Semitic under the draft law. law.
The bill passed easily in the House last week, although 21 Republicans and 70 Democrats voted against it, with many expressing the same concerns as faculty.
“Criticism of the state of Israel, the Israeli government, Israeli government policies, or Zionist ideology is not – in and of itself – anti-Semitic,” the letter to Biden and Senate leaders read it.
“Accordingly, we urge our political leaders to reject any effort to codify into federal law a definition of anti-Semitism that conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of the State of Israel,” it continues.
By using the IHRA definition in federal law, the letter states, the bill could “delegitimize and silence American Jews – among others – who defend Palestinian human rights or otherwise criticize Israeli policies.”
“By stifling criticism of Israel, the IHRA definition hardens the dangerous notion that Jewish identity is inextricably linked to all Israeli government decisions,” the letter continues. “Far from combating anti-Semitism, this dynamic promises to amplify the real threats American Jews already face.”
The IHRA defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred of Jews” and says that “the rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their properties, Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The organization provides a number of examples of what qualifies as anti-Semitism, including calling for harm to Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion, and accusing Jewish individuals of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
The letter urges lawmakers to pass the bill using a different definition of anti-Semitism, “without undermining Jewish security and civil rights by isolating Israel from legitimate criticism.”
A total of 694 Jewish professors from colleges and universities across the country, and some from around the world, signed the document on Wednesday afternoon.
Resistance against the bill in Congress united the far-left and right wings of the House last week, with critics warning that the bill could restrict freedom of expression.
“Anti-Semitism is wrong, but this legislation was written without regard to the Constitution, common sense, or even common understanding of the meaning of words,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida). wrote on social platform.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (DN.Y.), himself Jewish, said that despite having “dedicated much of my life to combating anti-Semitism,” he was against the “misguided bill” that “threatens to chill constitutionally protected speech ”.
The criticism comes at a time when Congress is focusing on anti-Semitism, given the rise in reports of hate crimes against the Jewish people. Protests on college campuses have also gained prominence, as students from hundreds of campuses across the country launched pro-Palestine campsprotesting the Israel-Hamas war and the Biden administration’s policies toward Israel.
Biden has maintained his tough record on anti-Semitism in recent months. In a Holocaust memorial speech on Tuesday, he again denounced hate.
“Anti-Semitism, anti-Semitic posters, slogans, calling for the annihilation of Israel, the only Jewish state in the world,” he said in remarks on Capitol Hill. “Many people deny, minimize, rationalize, ignore the horrors of the Holocaust and October 7th, including the horrific use of sexual violence by Hamas to torture and terrorize Jews. It is absolutely despicable and must stop.”
Along with the speech, the White House announced a a handful of new shares Tuesday to combat anti-Semitism, including new guidance for the Department of Education.
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