Youngkin signs into Virginia law two bills combating Jew-hatred "From day one, we have made combating antisemitism and religious bigotry a top priority," says the Republican governor. Glenn Youngkin campaigning on Oct. 30, 2021, a few days before he was elected governor of Virginia. Credit: Michael Robb Photography/Shutterstock.Glenn Youngkin campaigning on Oct. 30, 2021, a few days before he was elected governor of Virginia. Credit: Michael Robb Photography/Shutterstock. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Email Print (April 4, 2024 / JNS) Two of the 100 bills that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law on Tuesday address antisemitism. “From day one, we have made combating antisemitism and religious bigotry a top priority,” the Republican governor stated. “As one of my first executive orders, I formed the Commission to Combat Antisemitism, which issued a recommendation that Virginia revise its laws to ensure Jewish Virginians are protected from hate crimes, along with Muslims, Sikhs and other ethnic and religious groups.” On Tuesday, Youngkin signed SB 7, which unanimously passed the state Senate (36-0) and House of Delegates (100-0). The law’s aim is “to safeguard all individuals within the commonwealth from unlawful discrimination in employment and in places of public accommodation because of such individual’s ethnic origin and prohibits such discrimination.” The legislation “also adds victims, who are intentionally selected because of their ethnic origin, to the categories of victims whose intentional selection for a hate crime involving assault, assault and battery or trespass for the purpose of damaging another’s property results in a higher criminal penalty for the offense.” The governor also signed the identical HB 18, which also passed both the state House (99-0) and Senate (40-0) unanimously. “As the first state to weave religious freedom into the fabric of our nation, Virginia is leading once again and sending a clear message that Virginians should not be the victim of a crime simply because of their religion, race, or ethnicity,” stated Youngkin, who also vetoed four bills on Tuesday. “Legislation outlawing antisemitism isn’t just about protecting a particular group,” stated Bryce Reeves, a Republican state senator. “It’s about defending the fundamental values of equality, justice and human dignity for all. It adheres to the highest values we hold dear as Americans—liberty and justice for all.” “Hate has no place in our communities,” stated Dan Helmer, a Democrat state delegate. “As the grandson of Holocaust survivors and a Jew whose children have confronted antisemitism in our schools, this bill is personal for me,” Helmer added. “I’m grateful to the governor for signing this bipartisan legislation to protect people of every ethnicity across the commonwealth.”
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BIG NEWS: Jewish caucus inserts anti-bias ‘guardrails’ into California ethnic studies law Copy to clipboard Share on Facebook Share on X Share on Bluesky Share on Reddit Share on Email Print Article Republish Article Jewish groups took issue with the inclusion in the curriculum of an Ana Tijoux and Shadia Monsour song containing the lyric “Free Palestine.” Jewish groups took issue with the inclusion in the curriculum of an Ana Tijoux and Shadia Monsour song containing the lyric “Free Palestine.” Image by YouTube By Gabe Stutman September 3, 2020 On Monday, California took a major step toward becoming the first state in the country to mandate completion of an ethnic studies course as a requirement for high school graduation. Assembly Bill 331, which will require all public high schools (including charter schools) to offer the course by 2025 and will make ethnic studies a prerequisite to graduate by 2029, passed the Legislature and now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk with the full expectation he will sign it. Jose Medina presenting AB331 to the California Assembly Education Committee in March 2019. Medina is the author of the bill, which would make ethnic studies a high school requirement, and approved the Jewish caucus’ “guardrail” additions to the bill. Image by Twitter Free morning newsletter Forwarding the News Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day. Terms(Required) I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Email(Required) Your email address Members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus — having dealt with anxiety and outrage in the Jewish community about the first draft of an ethnic studies model curriculum that many say contained anti-Jewish and anti-Israel bias — are now breathing easier thanks to “guardrail” language they helped insert into AB 331 less than a week before the state Senate voted it through. Supporters say the extra language, borrowed from existing provisions of the California Education Code, will help head off potential anti-Jewish or anti-Israel bias from creeping back into the model curriculum, a document of more than 400 pages currently in its final public comment phase. The stipulations are threefold. They state that any ethnic studies instruction under state auspices must “be appropriate for use with pupils of all races, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds,” must “not teach or promote religious doctrine” and must not “reflect or promote, directly or indirectly, any bias, bigotry, or discrimination against any person or group of persons on the basis of any category protected by Section 220.” Section 220 of the state’s education code protects individuals from discrimination based on, among other characteristics, nationality, race or ethnicity, and religion. Jewish groups took issue with the inclusion in the curriculum of an Ana Tijoux and Shadia Monsour song containing the lyric “Free Palestine.” Jewish groups took issue with the inclusion in the curriculum of an Ana Tijoux and Shadia Monsour song containing the lyric “Free Palestine.” Image by YouTube The Legislature’s 16-member Jewish caucus issued a press release Aug. 31 celebrating the inclusion of the three new rules, which had to be greenlit by the bill’s author, Democratic Assembly member Jose Medina of Riverside, an associate member of the caucus and a former ethnic studies teacher himself. “We are pleased that AB 331 now includes firm guardrails that will prohibit the teaching of any curriculum that promotes bias, bigotry or discrimination, including against Jews or Israelis,” read the statement from state Sen. Ben Allen of Santa Monica and Assembly member Jesse Gabriel of Encino, chair and vice chair of the Jewish caucus. “These guardrails were developed in direct response to concerns about offensive anti-Jewish and anti-Israel content … and send a clear and unequivocal message to every school district in California that bigotry and discrimination have no place in our classrooms.” After a revised curriculum was released last month, Jewish and pro-Israel groups, including members of the Jewish caucus, were pleased to see controversial language critical of Israel removed. Still, many people are advocating vigorously for Palestinian issues to be put back, including representatives of the Bay Area’s Arab Resource and Organizing Center and Jewish Voice for Peace. “There are still folks coming to the [California Department of Education] to reinsert BDS back into the curriculum,” Gabriel said in a Sept. 1 phone call with J. The boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel received a number of mentions in the first draft, where it was described as a global social movement to “establish freedom for Palestinians living under apartheid conditions.” There was no pro-Israel counterpoint provided in the earlier model curriculum. Members of ADL’s Advocacy and Engagement Committee, along with staff, met with Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel at his district office in Woodland Hills on January 10 Members of ADL’s Advocacy and Engagement Committee, along with staff, met with Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel at his district office in Woodland Hills on January 10. Image by ADL “The Legislature has now weighed in,” Gabriel declared, “and again explicitly told the CDE, ‘Don’t do this. You need to write a curriculum free of bigotry, discrimination and bias.’” The content of the lessons will be guided by the ethnic studies model curriculum, which is undergoing a final public review period through Sept. 30. A full draft can be accessed on the CDE website. Public comments can be made by email to ethnicstudies@cde.ca.gov. The curriculum is still subject to revisions by the Department of Education, which by law must approve the model by March 31, 2021. Hundreds of high schools across the state, including some in San Francisco and Oakland, already offer instruction on ethnic studies, the interdisciplinary study of race and ethnicity with a focus on people of color. In 2015, the Oakland Unified School District board voted to require all district high schools to at least offer an ethnic studies course, which has been shown to improve outcomes for students of color. This story originally appeared in Jweekly.com.Reposted with permission.
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