NJ moves closer to defining antisemitism

Senate committee votes 4-1 adopt measure

By: Deena Yellin
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... A New Jersey Senate committee voted 4-1 to adopt an official definition of antisemitism for the state on Thursday, [06/20/2024] following a second day of emotional debate over the bill.
..... After five hours of virtual testimony on Monday, [06/17/2024] the State Government committee held another remote hearing Thursday [06/20/2024] where speakers form the public were as divided as ever about the measure, which would endorse language used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association.
..... "We know that statistically antisemitism is happening and that it's rising,: said state Senator John McKeon, an Essex County Democrat who supported the legislation. "We've heard their testimony firsthand. of what it;s like and how it makes them feel. I hope this bill will make a difference in their lives."
..... Responding to speakers who said the bill could be used to intimidate critics of Israel, he said similar legislation had been adopted in 36 other U.S. states and thus far, "there been no negative impact."
..... The bill, S1292, must still be approved by the full Senate, the state Assembly and Governor Phil Murphy to become law. The legislation would also provide $100,000 for a public education campaign against antisemitism in a state were reports of anti-Jewish harassment have erased record levels in recent years.
..... The committee, without comment, also approved a companion bill, S2948, requiring definitions of antisemitism and Islamophobia to be included in New Jersey's diversity, equity and inclusion policies and in policies for recipients of state funds.
..... Jewish leaders Thursday [06/20/2024] said they were gratified by the approval because ti is the farthest the IHRS definition has ever advanced in the state Legislature.
.... "I'm thrilled that it passed through committee and feel strongly that these bills will protect the Jewish community in the sate by being part of the safety protections we seek," said Jason Shames, CEO of the Paramus-based Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. "It is clear that the Jewish community feels threatened and harassed and that these bills address that."

How lawmakers voted

..... McKeon and the bill's two sponsors, Democrat James Beach and Republican Robert singer, as well as state Senator Vincent Polistina, R-Egg Harbor, also voted for it.
..... "I listed to all of the speaks and I understand their passion," Polistina said. A top priority for the state must be to protect those who "everyone acknowledges are under increased attack and under increased abuse," he added.
..... The lone no vote came form Democrat Shirley Turner, though it was not mention during the hearing. A spokesperson in Turner's office against the bill but did not immediately provide her reasoning.

Arguments pro and con

..... Dozens of people spoke for and against the IHRA legislation over the course of the two-day hearing. Opponents condemned the proposal, arguing that it would suppress freedom of speech and their right to critique Israel, particularly at a time when the military campaign in Gaza has elicited controversy.
..... Basma Bsharat, the Palestinian American Community Center in Clifton, said the bill would "falsely conflate antisemitism with anti-Zionism. We've witnessed death and starvation in Gaza. The would is critical of Israel's actions," she said. "If these bills were adopted, we would be punished for experiencing our outrage."
..... Those in favor of he bill spoke of encounters with anti-Jewish bias and threats in their towns or schools p pressure that they said has increased since the October 7 [2023] Hamas attack on Israel that left 1,200 victims dead and another 250 taken hostage.
..... They argued the bill was a valuable tool that would help protect them by providing a clear deification of antisemitism for law enforcement, schools and other institutions to sue. Many said they felt targeted as both Jews and as Zionists. Their ties to Israel were integral to their Judaism, they said.
..... Alana Burman, who testified on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, said the IHRA bill would right a wrong that has "been perpetrated in New Jersey public schools and broader society for far too long: Jews alone are the only group singled out,dis-empowered and prevented from defining the hated that others project towards them."
..... without a standardized definition, teachers will be unable to help students facing antisemitism, she said. "Lack of a standardized definition stops them form steeping in for fear of the instance of antisemitism not fitting the whim of supervisors or administrators."

What is the IHRQA definition of antisemitism?

..... The IHRA definition offers a comprehensive description of antisemitism, including hatred and discrimination against Jews, Holocaust denial and the way that criticism of Israel is expressed.
..... It also states that it is antisemitic to compare Israeli policy with that of the Nazis, to apply "double standards" to Israel not demanded of other nations; or to deny the Jewish people :their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor."
..... Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center in Atlanta, and an attorney specializing in the First amendment, wrote the model bill on which the New Jersey measure is based. He told the committee it does not prohibit speech, and only addresses discriminatory acts against Jewish people.
..... "Discriminatory acts are not speech, and they are not protected under the First Amendment," Goldfeder said. "You can say whatever you want, however abhorrent about Jews or the Jewish state, but you cannot then commit discriminatory acts against Jewish people because of your hatred for them."
..... Unless you are planning to commit acts of discrimination or hate crimes against Jewish people, then the bill rally should be no concern."

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