The House of Representatives is set to vote on an anti-Semitism bill on Wednesday Pro-Palestinian protests disrupt colleges throughout the country.
bill called Anti-Semitism Awareness ActIt would direct the Department of Education to adopt the broad definition of anti-Semitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental group to enforce anti-discrimination laws.
International group defines anti-Semitism As “a certain concept of Jews that can be expressed as hatred of Jews”. The group adds that “rhetorical and physical manifestations” of anti-Semitism include calls to kill or harm Jews or hold Jews collectively responsible for actions taken by the state of Israel.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., introduced the bipartisan legislation with the support of Democratic moderates who support Israel amid the country’s war with Hamas.
One A letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday“There is nothing planned on the floor this week that will carry out the concrete, deliberate strategies laid out by the Biden administration,” wrote Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., R-La., to combat anti-Semitism.
Jeffries instead called for a bipartisan vote Anti-Semitism Act, It aims to address growing anti-Semitism concerns by appointing a new adviser to the president who will be dedicated to implementing a coordinated strategy to combat anti-Semitism.
“The effort to stamp out anti-Semitism and hatred in any form is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” Jeffries wrote. “This is an American issue that must be addressed bipartisanly with its fierce urgency now.”
Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Task Force, told reporters Tuesday that she would not support the anti-Semitic bill and argued that Republicans are weaponizing anti-Semitism.
He argued that the Lawler-led bill “does real damage to the issue of anti-Semitism, which I feel very strongly about”.
“We must all continue to speak out against anti-Semitism and make it clear that we don’t like it – we will not tolerate anti-Semitism any more than we would tolerate Islamophobia or any other form of hatred and discrimination out there,” he said. “And I think, unfortunately, what the Republicans are doing is bringing up things that they hope will divide us.”
Jayapal also argued that the bill “has such a broad definition” that many Jewish groups do not support it.
“And why would you do that? The only exception is if you want to weaponize anti-Semitism and use it as a political ploy.” “Let’s remember that many of these Republicans didn’t say a word when Donald Trump and others were saying really anti-Semitic things in Charlottesville elsewhere.”
It comes as a bill Republicans are trying to launch investigations into anti-Semitism on college campuses In response to pro-Palestinian protests.
Rebecca Kaplan and Julie Tsirkin contributed.