The counterproductive and dangerous “Antisemitism Awareness Act,” which died on the Senate floor in December, has already reared its head in the new Congress. On February 5, it was reintroduced in the House of Representatives, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) promised to be an original co-sponsor when it is soon reintroduced in the Senate.

It must be stopped. Click here to send an email to Senator Schumer.

This legislation would enshrine into federal anti-discrimination law the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism – a definition that conflates criticism of Israeli state actions and ideologies with anti-Jewish bigotry. This legislation is bad for Jews, bad for anyone who supports Palestinian freedom and equality, and bad for American democracy. 

The IHRA definition is prone to being adopted by institutions & governments as a “quick fix” to antisemitism, precluding the more complex and long-term project of identifying the root causes of anti-Jewish bigotry and working to dismantle them. Rather than shield Jews from harassment, threats, and violence, the IHRA definition targets Constitutionally-protected speech in support of Palestinian human rights. The original drafter of the IHRA definition, Kenneth Stern, has himself decried the harmful consequences of codifying the definition into law. 

With Republican majorities in the House and Senate, and a president who backs the far-right Israeli government while branding student activists as “pro-Hamas” supporters of terrorism, this bill has a high chance of becoming law. As Donald Trump calls for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, his Executive Orders invoking the IHRA definition seek to repress dissent against such policies, which brazenly defy international humanitarian law. Senator Schumer must not hand the Trump Administration another cudgel against student activists exercising their Constitutional rights.