I'm Jewish. Here's why I voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
By Jerry Nadler
As protests over the Israel-Gaza war have heightened the debate over the line between constitutionally protected speech and antisemitism, the House passed a bill last week that supporters say is intended to combat anti-Jewish speech on campus. On its face, the Antisemitism Awareness Act might seem like legislation that I, as an observant Jew, a proud Zionist, a strong supporter of Israel and a member of Congress who has spent a career fighting antisemitism, would easily support.
Instead, I voted against it, as did several other Jewish members of Congress. While I support the sentiment expressed by its sponsors, this bill does nothing to fight antisemitism in any meaningful way. Instead, it merely tinkers with definitions and could ultimately make investigating antisemitism on campuses more difficult in the future. In addition to trampling the free-speech rights of students and professors, this bill was disingenuously designed to split the Democratic caucus and score cheap political points.
Specifically, the bill would require the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights to use the definition of antisemitism put forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and only this definition, when investigating claims of antisemitism on campus. This might not seem like a big deal, but the IHRA definition includes examples of antisemitism that might sweep in perfectly valid criticism of the state of Israel that, alone, does not necessarily constitute unlawful harassment or antisemitism.
To be clear, I strongly disagree with the anti-Israel sentiments being expressed at certain campus protests. I do not believe Israel is a racist endeavor, nor do I think it’s appropriate to draw comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
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