Jewish leaders push for measure
Seek executive order on NJ antisemitism bill
By: Deena Yellin
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Supporters of a state antisemitism definition in New Jersey are pressing Governor Mikie Sherrill to enact it by executive order before lawmakers vote.
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The Jewish Majority, a nonprofit advocacy group that fights extremism, sent a petition to the govern in support of an immediate adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism through an executive order.
..... The petition was signed by over 2,000 New Jersey residents and was delivered to the governor's office on May 19, [2026] organizers said.
..... Sherill's office did not immediately respond to request for comment, but she has previously expressed support for the IHRA bill.
..... There was a lot of frustration in the Jewish community in recent years when the IHRA bill failed to pass, and leaders of all Jewish denominations were eager to act, said Jonathan Schulman, executive director of the Jewish Majority.
..... "Our state has the highest rate of antisemitism per capita in the country, but there's no definition of antisemitism when someone is assaulted or harassed,' Schulman said.
.... As a result, there's a lack of consistency in how laws are applied, "and we are doing a disservice to public officials and law enforcement who are trying to figure out on their own. Everyone needs the same definition of antisemitism so hat the law can be applied fairly," he said.
..... The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance defines antisemitism as he perception of Jews that manifests as hate toward Jews, Jewish property and synagogues, Jewish monumens and schools.
..... The definition has been recognized by more than 43 counties, 35 American states, and 1,000 global paties-discriminaiton laws. The definition makes a distinction between legitimate criticism of Israel and overt antisemitism, such as conspiracy theories or tropes.
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The bill was initially introduced in the Assembly by Gary Schaer, D-Passaic, Rosy Bagolie, D-Livingston, and Michael Inganamort, R-Chester, and in the New Jersey Senate by James Beach, D-Voorhees, and Robert Singer, R-Lakewood.
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The IHRA bill had bipartisan support and over 50 cosponsors, but it also generated controversy, with hours of heated debate by state residents over the past two years. Opponents argued that it would chill critiques of Israel, and pro-Palestian groups rallied against it, arguing that it would quell their right to criticize Israel.
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But supporters denied such claims, asserting that the bill would aid law enforcement and other institutions to better identify anti-Jewish harassment and violence at a time when reports are soaring in New Jersey and around the world - including a deadly shooting spree on an Australian beach in December 2025.
..... Although the bill gained approval by an Assembly committee last July, [2025] it ultimately stalled, and it failed to pass into law before the end of the legislate season.
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Now similar bills have been reintroduced in both chambers of the Legislature. No hearing have been scheduled yet. The petition to the governor follows reports that IHRA legislation was shelved by former Governor Phil Murphy because of political concerns, angering many Jewish leaders aorta the state.
..... The new momentum also comes on the heels of the Anti-Defamation League's 2025 audit, which ranks New Jersey third in the nation for reported antisemitic incidents, after New York and California The report also found that the number of antisemitism assault sin New Jersey increased by 17% last year. [2025]
..... Opponents of the proposed IHRA bill said they ear prepared to fight it again.
..... Dyaa Terpstra, a spokesperson for the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations, said, "We will assemble the same coalition of First Amendment rights advocates hat have defeated it six years in a row. We will never allow special interest to stifle our ability to critique a foreign government."
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But Rabbi David Seth-Kirshner, leader of Congregation Emanu-El in Closter and the petition's architect, said the legislation would never stile free speech. The aim of the bill, he said, is simply to provide "the Jewish citizens of the protection against those who seek to destroy the Jewish country and the Jewish people."