House Passes Antisemitism Awareness Bills May 01, 2025 OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed two measures aimed at combating antisemitism in public schools and universities. Rep. Emily Gise, R-Oklahoma City, carried both Senate Bill 942 and Senate Bill 991 on the House floor. “These pieces of legislation intentionally focus on clarifying what antisemitism looks like, because for too long, this community has lived in a space of uncertainty without clear protections,” Gise said. “By putting a definition into law, we’re helping ensure that harmful acts are no longer overlooked or misunderstood." As a former student leader with Sooners for Israel, Gise saw firsthand the harassment and isolation Jewish students endured simply for expressing their identity, an experience that left a lasting impression and continues to fuel her commitment to this work. "With the passage of Senate Bill 991 and Senate Bill 942, Oklahoma is taking a firm, unapologetic stand: hate has no home here," Gise said. "These measures bring clarity, accountability, and protection, ensuring that antisemitism is no longer ignored but addressed with the seriousness it deserves. I’m proud to stand with our Jewish neighbors and to help build a future where every student can feel safe, seen and supported." SB942 requires public schools and higher education institutions to integrate the definition of antisemitism into their codes of conduct and include antisemitism awareness in training programs for students and staff. The legislation ensures that antisemitism is addressed with the same urgency and seriousness as racial discrimination. In addition, the House also approved SB991, which adopts the non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism established by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The IHRA definition is to be used as a guiding framework for training, education and the recognition and tracking of antisemitic incidents and hate crimes throughout the state. Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, the Senate author of both bills, expressed her strong support for the measures’ advancement and said she is encouraged by their passage in the House. "Today’s vote sent a loud and clear message: Oklahoma will not tolerate antisemitism," Thompson said. "I’m grateful to the members who had the moral clarity to support these bills. Those who voted no actively chose to oppose protections for Jewish students and ignore the very real threats they face every day." House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, also praised the passage of SB942 and SB991. “These bills are a declaration that hate has no place in our classrooms, on our campuses or in our communities,” said Hilbert. SB942 and SB991 are now headed to the governor’s desk. Oklahoma House of Representatives seal Share on
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AntisemitismCanada In 2026, Tulsa And Panama Are Courting Canadian Jews As Antisemitism Redefines The Cost Of Staying As antisemitism reaches unprecedented levels across Canada, Jewish families and professionals are quietly reassessing their futures, and some are being actively courted elsewhere. Ron East By: Ron East December 31, 2025 SHARE A growing number of Canadian Jews are exploring relocation options A growing number of Canadian Jews are exploring relocation options as antisemitism intensifies and confidence in public protection erodes. (Image: Illustration.) TORONTO — For generations, Canada sold itself as a country where Jews could thrive without constantly looking over their shoulders. That assumption no longer holds for a growing number of Canadian Jews, particularly in the aftermath of October 7 and the months that followed. What has changed is not only the number of antisemitic incidents. It is the atmosphere. Public hostility has been normalized. Jewish schools, synagogues, and community centres operate under permanent security protocols. Anti-Jewish intimidation is increasingly framed as political expression. Enforcement is inconsistent. Accountability is rare. When Jewish life requires constant risk assessment, mobility stops being a luxury. It becomes a rational act of self-preservation. That reality helps explain why, in 2026, two very different destinations, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Panama, are appearing with growing frequency in serious conversations among Canadian Jews who have the means and flexibility to move. This is not a panic migration. It is a strategic recalculation. Canada’s new warning lights Jewish Canadians represent a small fraction of the population, yet account for a vastly disproportionate share of reported hate crimes. This is not a perception problem. It is a documented pattern. More troubling than the statistics themselves is the message many Jews hear in response: concern, sympathy, and context, but little deterrence. Protests that spill into harassment are tolerated. Jewish institutions are targeted repeatedly. Antisemitism disguised as antizionism is parsed endlessly rather than confronted directly. The result is a slow erosion of confidence in the state’s willingness or ability to enforce equal protection. When a community moves from assuming it belongs to hoping nothing happens today, the social contract has already been fractured. It is within this context that Tulsa and Panama are not merely attracting attention but actively courting. Lech Le’Tulsa and intentional Jewish welcome Tulsa is not presenting itself as a refuge city. It is presenting itself as a place that wants Jewish life to grow. In 2026, that effort has taken concrete form through Lech Le’Tulsa, a Jewish-focused relocation initiative designed to attract Jewish families, professionals, and entrepreneurs to the Tulsa area. The program combines relocation assistance with intentional community building and access to Jewish infrastructure. The name is deliberate. Lech Lecha, the biblical call to go forth and build a future, is not branding by accident. It speaks directly to a Jewish historical instinct that understands movement not as retreat, but as agency. Lech Le’Tulsa offers what many Canadian Jews increasingly feel is missing at home: A clear signal that Jewish presence is welcomed, not merely accommodated Immediate access to synagogues, schools, and Jewish communal life A civic environment where Jewish identity is not treated as a liability The financial incentives matter, but the social architecture matters more. Tulsa is offering a landing ramp. It is saying, we are prepared for you to arrive. That clarity stands in stark contrast to the ambiguity Canadian Jews experience when their safety concerns are acknowledged but endlessly deferred. Panama and the appeal of optionality Panama represents a different but equally rational response to insecurity. For Canadian Jews with international mobility, Panama offers residency pathways tied to investment, business activity, or long-term economic contribution. It also offers something increasingly valuable: optionality. Panama has an established Jewish community, a comparatively lower cost of living, and an immigration framework that openly courts skilled and capital-carrying residents. For some, it is a permanent relocation. For others, it is a second base, a contingency plan, or a future passport pathway. What matters is not the destination itself, but the logic behind the choice. When Jews seek second options, they are not rejecting diaspora life. They are applying historical lessons. Jewish continuity has always depended on redundancy, resilience, and the ability to move before crisis becomes catastrophe. The Zionist lens Canadians prefer to ignore Zionism does not deny the legitimacy of diaspora life. It insists that Jews must never be dependent on the goodwill of others for safety or equality. That lesson was written in blood long before the modern State of Israel existed. Israel institutionalized it at a national level. Individual Jews apply it on a personal level. When Canadian Jews explore Tulsa or Panama, they are not abandoning Canada in anger. They are responding rationally to warning signs. They are building leverage. They are ensuring their children have options. This is what Zionist consciousness looks like outside Israel. It is quiet, pragmatic, and unsentimental. An indictment Canada should take seriously Tulsa and Panama are not superior societies. They are intentional ones. Tulsa is saying, we want contributors, and we are prepared to integrate them. Panama is saying, we want residents and investment, and we have clear legal pathways. Canada, too often, is saying something else entirely: we are sorry you feel unsafe, but the politics are complicated. A serious country does not treat antisemitism as a public relations challenge. It treats it as a threat to civic order. That requires enforcement, deterrence, and moral clarity, including the willingness to name antisemitism even when it hides behind fashionable political language. Until that happens, Canada should not be surprised when Jews quietly explore exit ramps. The bottom line In 2026, the fact that Tulsa and Panama can plausibly court Canadian Jews is not an oddity. It is a warning. When antisemitism reaches levels that fundamentally alter how Jews calculate their futures, movement becomes strategy. History teaches Jews to act before apologies arrive too late. Canada still has time to reverse this trajectory. But time matters. And Jews, having learned this lesson repeatedly, are no longer inclined to wait.
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