Antisemitism Awareness Act
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| Long title | To provide for the consideration of a definition of antisemitism set forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for the enforcement of Federal antidiscrimination laws concerning education programs or activities, and for other purposes. |
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| Announced in | the 118th United States Congress |
| Codification | |
| Acts amended | title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
| Legislative history | |
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The Antisemitism Awareness Act, spearheaded by the Republicans but also backed by many Democrats, passed the United States House of Representatives in a 320–91 vote on 1 May 2024, and proceeded to the Senate.[1][2] The bill is intended to add the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's approved working definition of antisemitism to title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits "exclusion from participation in, denial of benefits of, and discrimination under federally assisted programs on ground of race, color, or national origin".[3] Democratic representative Sara Jacobs, who is Jewish, said she opposed the bill because "it fails to effectively address the very real rise of antisemitism, all while defunding colleges and universities across the country and punishing many, if not all, of the non-violent protestors speaking out against the Israeli military’s conduct."[4]
The proposed legislation would broaden the legal definition of antisemitism to include Anti-Zionism, criticism of the policies of the state of Israel, and concerns about Palestinian human rights, categorizing all of them as hate speech.[citation needed]