The counterproductive and dangerous “Antisemitism Awareness Act” (S.558) was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate on February 13th, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has shamefully signed on as a co-sponsor. The legislation will be the subject of a committee hearing on April 30th. It's essential that Schumer hear from us NOW, before the hearing.  

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. 

The administration is already using the IHRA definition to advance Trump's authoritarian agenda. Per recent reporting, the Department of Homeland Security is now using the IHRA definition when surveilling visa applicants' social media as criteria to deny applicants' entry into the country. This is on top of Trump's Executive Orders invoking the IHRA definition to repress dissent in response to his calls for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, which brazenly defy international humanitarian law. 

Senator Schumer recently spoke out against Trump using the very real problem of antisemitism as a pretext for cracking down on free speech and dissent. His decision to co-sponsor this legislation is in direct conflict with the concerns he and other Jewish Democratic Senators just expressed in a joint letter. Contact him now to say clearly: Senator Schumer must not hand the Trump Administration another weapon to attack free speech and democracy in the name of Jewish safety.