The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act

The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act is an important response to the alarming increase in antisemitism from both the far right and far left in the last few years. The purpose of the legislation is to give Jewish students the same Title VI protection from discrimination that other minority groups enjoy - no more, no less. In order to help educational institutions understand what is and is not antisemitism, the bill includes the definition of antisemitism which was adopted by the 31-member countries of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016. The bill merely requires the Department of Education to “take into consideration” the IHRA definition of antisemitism when assessing potential Title VI violations, and, by its express terms of construction, does not permit any infringement upon 1st Amendment Rights. We hope that Congress will act swiftly and decisively to pass this important legislation.