On Wednesday, the House of Representatives successfully passed a bill aimed at addressing and combatting antisemitism within college campuses.
The bill easily passed with a bipartisan vote of 320-91, with 70 House Democrats and 21 House Republicans voting in opposition.
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Lawmakers who opposed the bill do not necessarily endorse antisemitism or oppose efforts to address it. Rather, they had concerns with the specific definition of antisemitism that would be required by the bill.
The Antisemitism Awareness Act, spearheaded by Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York and supported by 61 other lawmakers from both parties, aims to mandate the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definitions of antisemitism by the Department of Education when enforcing anti-discrimination laws.
The IHRA definition of antisemitism includes not only obvious instances of antisemitism but also certain criticisms that are often directed towards the State of Israel.
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- Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
- Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
By claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor, one denies the Jewish people their right to self-determination.
Comparing contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
Progressive lawmakers are expressing concerns that the current situation could potentially violate free speech norms and lead to the conflation of anti-Zionism or opposition to Israel with antisemitism.
On Wednesday, Rep. Jerry Nadler, the House’s longest-serving Jewish Democrat, expressed his opposition to the bill on the House floor. He argued that the definitions of antisemitism presented by the IHRA may encompass protected speech in certain contexts, especially when it comes to critiquing the State of Israel.
According to Nadler, criticizing Israel does not fall under the category of unlawful discrimination. He emphasized that the Department of Education already possesses the authority to investigate discrimination based on existing legislation.
Pro-Palestinian protests have been sweeping college campuses across the country, and the vote took place on Wednesday in the midst of these demonstrations.
According to Nadler, a significant portion of the demonstrations, regardless of one’s stance on the issues being protested, falls under the protection of free speech. Although there have been instances of individuals displaying anti-Semitic behavior, the Department of Education will appropriately conduct investigations into such incidents.
In December, Nadler took charge of a group of 92 House Democrats who chose to vote “present” on a GOP-sponsored resolution that equated anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Meanwhile, 13 House Democrats openly opposed the resolution.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to consider passing a separate bill called the Counter Antisemitism Act. This legislation aims to establish a National Coordinator responsible for overseeing an Interagency Task Force dedicated to combating antisemitism within the White House.
Republicans raised concerns about the bill, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia expressing her intention to vote against it. She argued that the bill had the potential to wrongly label Christians as antisemitic if they believed in the involvement of Jewish individuals in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Notably, this belief has been debunked by the Catholic Church since the 1960s.
The fate of the bill in the Senate remains uncertain, as there is no clear timeline for its consideration. Currently, the bill has garnered support from 30 cosponsors, with approximately half of them being Democrats.
Below is a list of the 91 lawmakers who voted against the bill, with Democrats indicated in italics.
