Indiana Senate Strips Leading Definition of Antisemitism From Anti-Discrimination Bill

Lawmakers and Jewish leaders have lambasted the Indiana Senate’s removal of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted by dozens of governments and hundreds of civic institutions around the world, from a bill that aims to abolish anti-Jewish hatred in public schools.

The decision, made by the Senate Education Committee, to exclude the definition from legislation that would define and ban antisemitism at Indiana’s public education institutions followed disagreement over whether IHRA’s 11 examples of antisemitism restrict free speech, local media in Indiana reported this week. Other voices argued specifically that the IHRA definition would squelch criticism of Israel.

The Senate on Tuesday passed a version of the bill without the IHRA examples by a vote of 42-6. The state House had easily passed House Bill 1002, with the widely accepted definition, two months ago. The legislation now heads back to the House  for final considerations.

“The Indiana Senate has contravened the bipartisan consensus of 35 other states and failed to protect Jewish students and faculty at Indiana’s public education institutions by passing HB 1002 without the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and its 11 examples,” the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) said in a statement. “Without it, authorities and schools lack the tools needed to monitor and effectively combat the rising antisemitism on campuses. We strongly urge the Indiana General Assembly to take the bill to a conference committee and incorporate the IHRA definition of antisemitism into legislation.”

IHRA, an intergovernmental organization comprised of 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.”

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.

Widely regard as the world’s leading definition of antisemitism, it was adopted by 97 governmental and nonprofit organizations in 2023, according to a report issued by the Combat Antisemitism Movement in January. Earlier this year, Georgia became the latest US state to pass legislation applying its guidance to state law. Other states of the 35 total to adopt the IHRA definition include Virginia, Texas, New York, and Florida.

On Wednesday, prominent voices who support using IHRA’s definition of antisemitism said its inclusion in Indiana’s bill is a necessity.

“Jewish Hoosiers should not be afraid to go to school due to the rise of antisemitism,” US Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), who represents the state’s fourth congressional district, said on X/Twitter. “I urge the Indiana General Assembly to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism back into HB 1002. We cannot let our friends down.”

“It is unconscionable for the State of Indiana to enact House Bill 1002 without fixing the definition of antisemitism, which must reference IHRA,” Jacob Markey, executive director of the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, said in a statement. “We remain hopeful that the Indiana General Assembly will protect Jewish students in Indiana by returning House Bill 1002 to the House-passed version.”

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.