It looks rather biblical: Scott, Rosen reintroduce Antisemitism Awareness Act in Senate “It’s critical the Department of Education has the tools and resources it needs to investigate antisemitism,” said Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Credit: Maxim Kapytka/Pexels.U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Credit: Maxim Kapytka/Pexels. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Email Print (Feb. 12, 2025 / JNS) Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) reintroduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act in the Senate on Wednesday. The bipartisan bill directs the U.S. Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when investigating acts of Jew-hatred on campus. “In the continued aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas and Iran, we have seen college campuses across our nation become hotbeds of antisemitism where Jewish students’ rights are being threatened,” Scott said. “It’s critical the Department of Education has the tools and resources it needs to investigate antisemitism and root out this vile hatred wherever it rears its ugly head.” Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate and never miss our top stories and analyses Email By signing up, you agree to receive emails from JNS. The legislation would enshrine in law U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2019 executive order instructing federal agencies to consider the IHRA definition of antisemitism in enforcing Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits any recipient of federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin. Title VI notably applies to virtually every university in the country. The IHRA definition includes both a “non-legally binding working definition” of antisemitism as well as 11 “contemporary examples” of antisemitism, including “holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel,” and “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” Related Articles Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Libya on Nov. 23, 2021. Credit: Eskinder Debebe/U.N. Photo. White House officially sanctions ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan Feb. 13, 2025 U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2025. Photo by Liri Agami/Flash90. Nobel laureates make bold peace prize offer to Trump in bid to save hostages from Hamas Feb. 13, 2025 The Iron Dome aerial-defense system fires interceptor missiles at enemy rockets fired from Lebanon, April 12, 2024. Photo by Ayal Margolin/Flash90. Iron Dome developer elected to National Academy of Engineering Feb. 13, 2025 A previous iteration the bill passed the House by a wide margin in 2024, but the previous Senate majority leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), did not bring it to a vote in the upper chamber before the end of the 118th Congress. Critics of the legislation argue that the IHRA definition is too restrictive, with some on the left, like Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), saying that it precludes legitimate criticism of Israel. From the right, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) argued during the 2024 House vote Christians could be accused of antisemitism “for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews.” The Senate version of the act has 32 co-sponsors, including Schumer, who was not a co-sponsor of the previous Senate version. Jewish groups such as the the Anti-Defamation League, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Federations of North America have also endorsed the legislation. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) reintroduced the House version of the bill in the lower chamber earlier in February.
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For decades, the mainstream Jewish community and conservative Christians often found themselves on opposite sides of domestic cultural issues. However, the aggressive overreach of radical activist networks in public education has shattered old political divisions, forging an unprecedented, highly effective coalition [10.1].This unexpected alliance works in practice through three major common interests:1. A Shared Stand for Parent Rights and TransparencyThe underhanded tactics used to advance curricula like San Francisco’s Voices—such as midnight votes and copyright shields—alienated Christian families just as much as Jewish families.Breaking the Monopolies: Conservative and Christian legal networks have joined hand-in-hand with Jewish advocacy groups to mandate total educational transparency. They are deploying joint resources to demand that public school boards publish every single reading list and lesson plan online, permanently dismantling the ability of radical administrators to hide their work.Electoral Force: In suburban communities like Fremont and across Silicon Valley, Christian, Jewish, and immigrant parent groups (such as East Asian and Indian coalitions) are combining their voting power [10.1]. They are pooling campaign funds to systematically remove radical progressive officials from local school boards and replace them with moderate, transparency-first candidates.2. Uniting Against the "Oppressor vs. Oppressed" FrameworkTraditional Christians and Jewish advocates share a fundamental rejection of radical identity-based theories that divide children into rigid moral categories based on race or religion.Defending Basic Values: Both communities view the "Liberated" framework as an assault on universal values, meritocracy, and individual character. Christian parents refuse to let their children be taught that their faith or traditional values are inherently oppressive, while Jewish parents refuse to let their children be targeted by biased political dogmas.3. Bipartisan Legislative and Federal EnforcementThis alliance has successfully elevated local school board grievances into historic federal and state-level protections.The Right to Worship Act: Just days ago, on August 6, 2026, a major bipartisan, bicameral coalition led by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Representative Tom Suozzi (D-NY) introduced the federal Right to Worship Act. Backed heavily by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), this bill establishes strict 100-foot protective buffer zones and heavy civil fines to stop hostile activist crowds from blockading or harassing congregants outside houses of worship.The Federal Crackdown: The Trump administration’s upcoming 15-city DOJ task force and FBI deployment is heavily cheered by red-state conservatives. They view the federal audits into deep-blue California municipalities as the ultimate enforcement of civil rights, proving that local progressive immunity expires where federal law begins.The progressive establishment completely miscalculated. They assumed they could isolate Jewish families by using anti-racist language, but their reliance on secrecy and radical tactics instead forced a historic real-world alignment. Mainstream Jews, traditional Christians, conservatives, and diverse immigrant communities have formed a massive, united front—permanently forcing the radical movement into a corner as the legal guardrails close in [10.1].
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According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), American antisemitism remains at historically high levels, with 57% of American Jews reporting that antisemitism has become a normal part of daily life. While tracking shows high volumes of harassment, vandalism, and assaults nationwide, recent data also indicates targeted institutional progress and legislative pushback.Campus Climate and ProgressReport Card Improvements: The ADL's Campus Antisemitism Report Card evaluated 150 universities in 2026, showing that 61% earned top grades (A or B), up significantly from 23.5% in 2024.Ongoing Student Impact: Despite administrative policy updates, 48.3% of non-Jewish and Jewish students surveyed reported witnessing or experiencing anti-Jewish behavior on campus or digital spaces.Persistent Incidents: Pockets of activism, intermittent encampments, and vandalism continue to challenge campus administrators despite increased cooperation with the ADL.Public Safety and Legislative EffortsSynagogue and Community Threats: Houses of worship face continuous pressure, leading advocacy groups to push for robust federal funding through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.Bipartisan Bills: Lawmakers introduced measures like the Jewish American Security Act—welcomed by the ADL—to mandate online transparency for major social media platforms regarding hate speech and antisemitic content metrics.Major InitiativesNever Is Now Summit: The ADL hosted its annual Never Is Now gathering, drawing thousands of participants to strategize on combating modern political and social antisemitism.
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