House Passes Antisemitism Awareness Act to Combat Campus Antisemitism

Following the October 7th Hamas massacre, Americans have watched our country’s college campuses devolve into cesspools of naked, unabashed antisemitism. Antisemitic and anti-Israel vitriol from students and professors; praise for Hamas and its butchery; threats, assaults, and violence against Jewish students have all become a daily occurrence that is met only with a tepid response from officials of even the most elite universities.

Agudath Israel of America applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Antisemitism Awareness Act (H.R. 6090) which will provide another critical weapon in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism on campus. This bipartisan legislation introduced by Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) directs the U.S. Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when investigating possible antisemitic actions on campus.

“This legislation helps ensure that the U.S. Department of Education, now and in the future, will have a clear, statutorily-based definition when investigating whether and when anti-Israel or antisemitic incidents cross over from free speech to unlawful activity and behavior,” said Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel’s Vice President for Government Affairs and Washington Director and Counsel. “Agudath Israel urges the Senate to pass this important piece of legislation as soon as possible.”