House to vote on anti-Semitism bill amid campus arrests

The House is expected to vote on an anti-Semitism bill Wednesday as pro-Palestinian protests rock colleges across the country.

The bill, titled Anti-Semitism Awareness Actwould require the Department of Education to adopt the broad definition of anti-Semitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental group, to enforce anti-discrimination laws.

The international group defines antisemitism as a “certain perception of Jews, which can be expressed as hatred of Jews.” The group adds that the “rhetorical and physical manifestations” of anti-Semitism include things like calling for the death or harm of Jews or holding Jews collectively responsible for actions taken by the State of Israel.

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., introduced the bipartisan legislation, which has the support of moderate Democrats who support Israel amid the country’s war with Hamas.

On a Monday letter to House Speaker Mike JohnsonR-La., Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y., wrote “there is nothing scheduled on the floor this week that could fulfill the concrete, thoughtful strategies outlined by the Biden administration” to combat anti-Semitism.

Instead, Jeffries demanded a vote on the bipartisan Combating Anti-Semitism Act, which aims to address concerns about rising anti-Semitism by appointing a new advisor to the president who would be dedicated to implementing his coordinated strategy to combat anti-Semitism.

“The effort to crush anti-Semitism and hatred in any form is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” Jeffries wrote. “It is an American issue that must be addressed in a bipartisan manner with the fierce urgency of now.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told reporters Tuesday that she will not support the anti-Semitism bill and argued that Republicans are weaponizing anti-Semitism.

She argued that the Lawler-led bill is “doing real harm to the issue of anti-Semitism, which I feel strongly about.”

“We must all continue to speak out against anti-Semitism and make it clear that we don’t like it – we will not tolerate anti-Semitism any more than we tolerate Islamophobia or any other hatred and discrimination that exists,” she said. “And I think, unfortunately, what Republicans seem to be doing is presenting things that they hope will divide us.”

Jayapal also argued that the bill also “has such a broad definition” that many Jewish groups do not support it.

“Then why would you do that? Except if you want to weaponize anti-Semitism and you want to use it as a political ploy,” she said. “Let’s remember that many of these Republicans didn’t say a word when Donald Trump and others elsewhere in Charlottesville said truly anti-Semitic things.”

The bill comes as Republicans seek to launch investigations into anti-Semitism on college campuses in response to pro-Palestinian protests.