H.R.6090 - Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023

[revelarts]

Matt Walsh


IHRA
https://www.adl.org/resources/backgr...n-antisemitism

“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. 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.”

Accompanying the IHRA Definition are 11 examples that “may serve as illustrations” of how antisemitism manifests contemporaneously, ranging from age-old anti-Jewish tropes, to Holocaust denial, to certain expressions of animus toward the Jewish State of Israel that may cross the line into antisemitism. These examples are important, because while certain longstanding myths animating antisemitism have stood the test of millennia, manifestations of antisemitism do change, sometimes significantly, over time and place. It is important to provide guidance built on the knowledge of experts in the field, as well as the lived experience of large segments of the Jewish population.

While there is no singular exhaustive definition of antisemitism, as it can take many forms, the IHRA Definition has become the preeminent and most widely accepted definitional and learning tool used around the world when it comes to understanding manifestations of antisemitism today. No other definition is as widely endorsed and utilized....

https://holocaustremembrance.com/res...n-antisemitism
"Read the full text of the IHRA’s non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism and learn more about this important tool with the FAQs below..."



https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-...bill/6090/text
...

Congress finds the following:
(1) Antisemitism is on the rise in the United States and is impacting Jewish students in K–12 schools, colleges, and universities.
(2) The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (referred to in this Act as the “IHRA”) Working Definition of Antisemitism is a vital tool which helps individuals understand and identify the various manifestations of antisemitism.
(3) On December 11, 2019, Executive Order 13899 extended protections against discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to individuals subjected to antisemitism on college and university campuses and tasked Federal agencies to consider the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism when enforcing title VI of such Act.
(4) Since 2018, the Department of Education has used the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism when investigating violations of that title VI.
(5) The use of alternative definitions of antisemitism impairs enforcement efforts by adding multiple standards and may fail to identify many of the modern manifestations of antisemitism....

ACLU making sense? Broken Clock?

The American Civil Liberties Union strongly urges you to oppose H.R.6090, the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act.Federal law already prohibits antisemitic discrimination and harassment by federally funded entities. H.R. 6090is therefore not needed to protect against antisemitic discrimination; instead, it would likely chill free speech of students on college campuses by incorrectly equating criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism.The ACLU will score this vote. This bill directs the Department of Education to take theInternational Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition of “antisemitism”into consideration when determining whether alleged harassment was motivated by antisemitic intent and violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs receiving federal financial assistance, including in higher education. The federal government itself has interpreted Title VI to prohibit harassment or discrimination against Jews, Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs as well as others when that discrimination is based on the group’s actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.1These existing protections are critically important, particularly in the current environment.....
https://www.aclu.org/documents/aclu-...-awareness-act