US: House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on College Campus Antisemitism
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – As anti-Israel student protests sweep across American universities nationwide, the US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed by a large majority a bipartisan bill that would sanction antisemitism on college campuses, the Hill reports. The bill now moves to the US Senate for consideration.
Described as “pro-Palestinian,” the US student protests have resulted in sustained outbursts of antisemitic behavior, such that Jewish students, in many cases, have had to take classes online to feel unsafe on their campuses. More than 1,500 people have now been arrested for disruption, violence, and refusal to obey police orders at college campus protests.
The Antisemitism Awareness Act was introduced in the House Wednesday by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and co-sponsors Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Max Miller (R-Ohio), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) among others. The Act was approved in a 320-91 vote, the Hill reports.
The bill requires the US Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when enforcing antidiscrimination laws, the Hill reports. The IHRA defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews” and asserts that “Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
In a statement about the college protests, US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Tuesday that federal funding might be withdrawn from schools that do not comply with Title VI anti-discrimination laws. “I think what’s happening on our campuses is abhorrent,” Cardona said. “I’ve spoken to Jewish students who have feared going to class as a result of some of the harassment that they’re facing on campuses. It’s unacceptable, and we’re committed as a Department of Education to adhering to Title VI enforcement.”
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