American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), March 4, 2025
ADC Opposes the IHRA Antisemitism Awareness Act in the Senate
Last month, Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tim Scott (R-SC.), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV.), officially introduced the IHRA Antisemitism Awareness Act in the Senate. The bill promotes the adoption of the International Holocaust Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. The IHRA definition of antisemitism seeks to broadly define antisemitism within federal law. While the stated goal is to address discrimination and prejudice against Jewish communities, the bill’s expansive and ambiguous language has raised concerns.
Contact your Senators NOW to oppose this bill!
In April 2023, 60 human rights and other civil society groups wrote a letter to the United Nations (UN) urging the UN not to adopt the IHRA definition to address antisemitism and respect human rights in the fight against antisemitism. Noteworthy criticisms include a lack of a clear and precise definition of antisemitism in the legislation that can open the door to conflate valid criticisms of the Israeli government’s actions and its occupation of Palestinian territories with anti-semitic intent. This conflation risks suppressing legitimate advocacy for Palestinian rights and undermines free speech, potentially labeling principled opposition to policies of the Israeli government as discriminatory.
The ADC opposes the Antisemitism Awareness Act, maintaining that rather than seeking to define antisemitism in law, efforts should focus on addressing concrete instances of prejudice without stifling open discourse on critical international issues. If the genuine goal of the Antisemitism Awareness Act is Jewish safety, it is imperative to oppose the Antisemitism Awareness Act and commit to protecting the rights of all individuals to speak freely about critical issues without fear of retribution.
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