Jewish Federations of North America praises introduction of bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act

The Antisemitism Awareness Act - which will require the US Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws - was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday by Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) and co-signed by more than two dozen bipartisan lawmakers. 

The bill is backed by the Jewish Federations of North America which has been the leading organization advocating for it, Vice President for Government Relations Karen Paikin Barall told The Post on Tuesday afternoon shortly after the bill was introduced. 

"We've been asking for this for a long time," Barall told The Post. "We don't want another executive order that could be quickly changed or not really enforced, so it's important to get it in law."

Impacting Jewish students' lives

When it comes to bills combating antisemitism, Barall said JFNA believes the Antisemitism Awareness Act could pass through Congress and actually make an impact in student's lives. 

Having the IHRA definition as a tool for the Office of Civil Rights to recognize what antisemitism is will help both students and administrators, Barall said, as the definition is clear. 

JFNA had hundreds of meetings on Capitol Hill pushing for the Act to be introduced in the Senate in a bipartisan manner, Barall said. JFNA has also been working to secure votes in the House, especially votes in committee, she added. 

The act is one of JFNA's priority issues, Barall said. 

"We want to message to students that we're there for them. We don't want them to feel like they're alone, like the organized Jewish community isn't helping them," Barall said. "We want them to know we are helping them. We're helping them in every way we can."

In a statement, co-sponsor Sen. Casey said Hamas' horrific terrorist attack on October 7 led to a dramatic increase in antisemitism on college campuses. We must do everything we can to protect Jewish students on college campuses, he said. 

"This bill will make sure that going forward, the Education Department will take action against all forms of antisemitic discrimination," Casey said in the statement. 

Sen. Scott said it's critical for the Department of Education to have the tools and resources it needs to investigate antisemitism and "root out this vile hatred wherever it rears its ugly head.”

The IHRA definition is supported by President Biden’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, was included in President Biden’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, and has been used by the State Department since the Obama Administration, according to Casey's statement.