Indiana Governor Vetoes Bill Excluding IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) has vetoed an anti-discrimination bill that was excised of the world’s leading definition of antisemitism by lawmakers in the state’s General Assembly who accused it of undermining free speech and squelching criticism of Israel.

The decision came about two weeks after the Indiana Senate passed House Bill 1002, which aimed to define and ban antisemitism in the state’s public education institutions, without the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, despite the state House easily approving a version of the bill with it two months ago.

“While I applaud the General Assembly’s effort to address and define antisemitism, I cannot agree with the outcome,” Holcomb tweeted on Monday. “The language that emerged in the final days of the legislative session fails to incorporate the entire International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition and its important contemporary examples.”

Holcomb added that he does not wish to “leave a void as to Indiana’s stance on antisemitism” and has “signed a proclamation reiterating that Indiana condemns all forms of antisemitism and ensures we join numerous states and countries by supporting the entire IHRA definition with its inextricable examples.”

IHRA, an intergovernmental organization comprising dozens of countries including the US and Israel, adopted a non-legally binding “working definition” of antisemitism in 2016. Since then, the definition has been widely accepted by Jewish groups and well over 1,000 global entities, from countries to companies. The US State Department, the European Union, and the United Nations all use it.

According to the definition, antisemitism “is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

On Tuesday, Sacha Roytman of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) commended Holcomb for refusing to sign a bill that did not include the definition.

“CAM applauds Governor Holcomb’s decision to veto HB 1002 today,” Roytman said in a press release. “CAM worked closely with the governor’s office and other stakeholders to highlight the bill’s shortcomings, particularly its failure to include 11 examples of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance working definition of antisemitism. These examples are essential for effectively identifying and thus combating antisemitism; without them, the legislation became counterproductive.”

IHRA provides 11 specific, contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere. Beyond classic antisemitic behavior associated with the likes of the medieval period and Nazi Germany, the examples include denial of the Holocaust and newer forms of antisemitism targeting Israel such as demonizing the Jewish state, denying its right to exist, and holding it to standards not expected of any other democratic state.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.