House passes bill aimed to combat antisemitism amid college unrest
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
As many colleges and universities around the country continue to deal with protests against Israel's war in Gaza, Congress is weighing measures aimed at addressing complaints about rising antisemitism on college campuses. The House approved a bill to establish a broader definition of antisemitism that the Department of Education could use to enforce anti-discrimination laws. Here is NPR's Barbara Sprunt.
BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: The House overwhelmingly approved the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which would adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism for federally funded education programs. That definition refers to a certain perception of Jews expressed as hatred and the way that hatred manifests both physically and rhetorically. Here is Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York, who sponsored the bill, speaking on the House floor.
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MIKE LAWLER: Right now, without a clear definition of antisemitism, the Department of Ed and college administrators are having trouble discerning whether conduct is antisemitic or not, whether the activity we're seeing crosses the line to antisemitic harassment.
SPRUNT: This legislation goes further than an executive order former President Donald Trump signed in 2019, which made Title VI of the Civil Rights Act apply to antisemitic acts. Title VI bans discrimination based on race, color or national origin in places like colleges that receive federal funding. But New York Democrat Jerry Nadler says that while he believes some colleges haven't done enough to protect Jewish students, this bill is too broad.
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JERRY NADLER: This definition adopted by the International Holocaust Remembers Alliance - or IHRA - includes, quote, "contemporary examples of antisemitism," close quote. The problem is that these examples may include protected speech in some contexts, particularly with respect to criticism of the state of Israel.
SPRUNT: Fellow New York Democrat Ritchie Torres, one of the 15 Democratic co-sponsors of the bill, told NPR he finds that argument unconvincing.
RITCHIE TORRES: I consider it complete nonsense.
SPRUNT: He says, it's not that complicated.
TORRES: If you can figure out how to critique the policies and practices of the Israeli government without calling for the destruction of Israel itself, then no reasonable person would ever accuse you of antisemitism.
SPRUNT: While members of both parties have criticized reports of antisemitism at the protests, Republicans have made the issue a central political focus this week. Here's House Speaker Mike Johnson at a GOP press conference on antisemitism.
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MIKE JOHNSON: We have to act, and House Republicans will speak to this fateful moment with moral clarity.
SPRUNT: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who chairs the House Progressive Caucus, says Republicans are playing politics. Here she is outside the Capitol.
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PRAMILA JAYAPAL: Many of these Republicans didn't say a word when Donald Trump and others in Charlottesville and other places were saying truly antisemitic things. But all of a sudden, now, they want to bring forward bills that divide Democrats and weaponize this.
SPRUNT: Torres says this issue should be bipartisan.
TORRES: You know, it's impossible to take the politics out of politics, but, you know, the fight against all forms of hate, including antisemitism, should transcend partisan politics.
SPRUNT: Lawmakers say this bill is just one step and that there's more action they should take to combat antisemitism.
Barbara Sprunt, NPR News, the Capitol.
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