Wiesenthal Center Commends US Representatives For Introducing Anti-Semitism Awareness Act

May 23, 2018

The Simon Wiesenthal Center commended Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Doug Collins (R-GA), and Jerry Nadler (D-NY) for introducing an important piece of legislation intended to provide new protections against anti-Semitism in the United States—the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2018. Similar legislation was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate in 2016.

The proposed legislation incorporates the 2010 definition of anti-Semitism developed by the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. This bill provides clear guidance and examples to authorities as to when an investigation of on-campus anti-Semitism is warranted. The bill will provide important protections to battle the rise of anti-Semitism while ensuring the protection of students’ and schools’ First
Amendment rights and academic freedom.

“The prevalence of anti-Semitism in the United States, particularly within academic institutions, has risen at an alarming rate. The successful passage of this legislation will give the Department of Education important clarity and guidance to redress anti-Semitic attacks on campus and send a clear message to perpetrators that they will be held accountable for their hate. With this clear definition available to authorities, an unequivocal message will be delivered that anti-Semitic incidents will not be tolerated,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Associate Dean and Director Global Social Action Agenda for the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

“We commend the House of Representatives for introducing the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act and encourage its swift passage,” Cooper concluded.

For more information, please contact the Center's Communications Department, 310-553-9036. Join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).