Anti-semitism will not be tolerated in America’s schools and institutions of higher education, according to a bipartisan bill introduced on May 23 by U.S. Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and Doug Collins (R-GA).
“Like all other students, Jewish students have the right to feel safe on campus,” Rep. Roskam said. “With this legislation, Congress can play an important role in this effort.”
The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act would direct the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to use a universally accepted definition of anti-semitism to determine if it motivated harassment or discrimination incidents that may violate federal anti-discrimination law.
U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) joined as cosponsors of the House bill while U.S. Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the legislation in the Senate.
The DOE currently doesn’t have firm guidance to define anti-semitism, according to information provided by Rep. Roskam’s staff, so the bill would codify the definition adopted by the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, subsequently enabling DOE “to protect students from the most insidious and modern forms of anti-semitism.”
The legislation would not infringe upon any individual’s First Amendment rights or a school’s academic freedoms, according to the congressman’s staff, but instead would give DOE’s Office of Civil Rights a guide “for determining whether cases that already rise to the level of actionable discrimination were motivated by anti-Jewish animus.”
“There is no place for anti-semitism or religious discrimination on our college campuses,” said Rep. Roskam, who noted that across the country there has been a “significant rise in Jewish students being targeted and harassed for no reason other than their identity.”
In Illinois, for example, Rep. Roskam said that anti-semitic incidents have nearly doubled in recent years, and have included cases of anti-semitic vandalism, propaganda and harassment at several universities.
“We must stand together against hate,” he said. “This legislation would ensure that the Department of Education is properly able to identify all forms of anti-semitic incidences when investigating illegal discrimination on campus.”
Rep. Collins added that the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act would empower DOE to investigate “whether prohibited bigoted actions have become a barrier to learning,” and he said the bill would uphold and ensure both constitutional and educational rights are “free from anti-semitic abuse.”
For instance, anti-semitic abuse of students who wear Judaic symbols or who express their support for Israel won’t be allowed, Rep. Deutch said. “I’ve heard far too many stories from Jewish students of the anti-semitism they face in schools and on college campuses every day,” he said. “Jewish students, like students of any religion, should not live in fear of attacks because of their religion.”
Rep. McMorris Rodgers pointed out that America was founded on the idea that regardless of a person’s faith, background, color, or creed, “you’re able to live without persecution.”
“As we see an uptick of anti-semitic incidents in our communities and at our educational institutions, something must be done to protect Jewish students and their peers,” said McMorris Rodgers.
In the Senate, Sen. Scott thanked colleagues for working across the aisle on the bill, which he said provides DOE with “a clear and concise definition of what constitutes anti-semitism” so that the department has “an important tool in the fight against hatred, harassment and discrimination.”
“The rise of religiously motivated hate crimes and religious discrimination across our country is unacceptable,” added Sen. Casey.