Should President Biden Sign the Antisemitism Awareness Act?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Should President Joe Biden sign the Antisemitism Awareness Act into law if it reaches his desk?
From the Left: A writer in Salon (Left bias) argued that “American Jews who care about fighting antisemitism” should be against the act, determining that the language of the bill could be interpreted to categorize criticism of the state of Israel as antisemitic. “A bill that effectively restricts speech on the country’s foreign policy has no business being passed in the United States,” the writer states. Noting the possibility that former President Donald Trump could be elected back to the White House in November, the writer concluded, “Establishing a precedent for more violent crackdowns mere months before the arrival of an administration that will push policies opposed by most American Jews seems, at best, shortsighted.”
From the Right: A writer in the National Review (Right bias) argued critics of the bill are “mistaken” about its contents, stating, “Leftists who are currently accusing Israel of genocide or comparing Israelis to Nazis will be able to continue to do so.” The bill “ensures that Jewish students have statutory protection from discrimination based on ethnicity.” The writer determined that left-wing criticism is rooted in fear that it would disrupt Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, stating that if the act incentivizes universities to “treat members of all protected classes (including white students discriminated against based on race) equally, then the whole ideological structure of DEI as we know it, which depends on preferences for favored groups, collapses.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Why American Jews Should Oppose the Antisemitism Awareness ActLast week, the House of Representatives passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act. But American Jews who care about fighting antisemitism should be against it.
HR 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, passed 320–91. Seventy Democrats and 21 Republicans voted against it (including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who noted that she was against antisemitism but wanted to protect her Christian right to say that Jews killed Jesus). The legislation would see the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.
There are some who have long opposed codifying this particular definition...
From the Center
Nearly 700 Jewish professors call on Biden not to sign controversial antisemitism legislationA group of nearly 700 Jewish college faculty signed a letter to President Biden on Wednesday encouraging him not to back the controversial Antisemitism Awareness Act.
The academics took issue with the act’s use of the International Holocaust Awareness Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has raised concerns that legitimate criticisms of the state of Israel could be seen as antisemitic under the bill.
The bill easily passed the House last week, though 21 Republicans and 70 Democrats voted against it, with many voicing the same concerns as the faculty....
From the Right
What People Are Getting Wrong about the House Antisemitism BillMany critics are displaying a combination of ignorance and mendacity, often with a significant dollop of anti-Jewish conspiracy theory.
Some on both left and right have been up in arms about the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) passed by the House of Representatives, which may get taken up by the Senate. Those on the left (and some on the right) argue that it will make criticizing Israel illegal. Others on the right claim it will outlaw Christianity. Tucker Carlson, for example, tweeted that it will make the New Testament illegal. More...
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