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WASHINGTON,
DC
- Yesterday,
the
Senate
unanimously
passed
the
bipartisan
Anti-Semitism
Awareness
Act,
which
was
introduced
by
U.S.
Senators
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
and
Bob
Casey
(D-PA)
earlier
this
week.
The
legislation
was
initiated
in
response
to
the
growing
number
of
anti-Semitic
incidents
that
have
been
reported
on
college
campuses
nationwide.
Statistics
show
there
has
been
a
sharp
increase
in
religiously-motivated
hate
crimes,
many
specifically
involving
anti-Jewish
sentiments.
According
to
the
Anti-Defamation
League,
in
2015
there
were
90
anti-Semitic
incidents
that
were
reported
across
60
college
campuses,
while
in
2014
there
were
47
incidents
on
43
campuses.
“There
is
simply
no
place
in
our
country
for
this
kind
of
intolerance,”
said
Scott.
“It
falls
on
us
to
stand
up
and
do
more
to
stamp
out
anti-Semitism
and
other
forms
of
religious
discrimination.
We
must
hold
to
the
ideals
that
our
nation
was
founded
on
and
promote
freedom
of
religion.
We
must
protect
that
freedom
and
encourage
it.”
“The
rise
in
incidents
of
religious
discrimination
and
religiously-motivated
hate
crimes
is
completely
unacceptable.
We
have
to
not
only
condemn
it,
but
work
to
stop
it,”
Senator
Casey
said.
“This
legislation
is
aimed
at
a
particularly
troubling
manifestation
of
the
growing
problem
of
anti-Semitism:
when
anti-Semitic
views
lead
to
discrimination
against
students
of
Jewish
faith
or
Jewish
ancestry.
I’m
pleased
that
this
legislation
moved
forward
and
call
on
the
House
of
Representatives
to
quickly
send
it
to
the
President’s
desk.”
If
passed
and
signed
into
law
by
the
President,
the
U.S.
Department
of
Education
would
be
able
to
use
the
State
Department’s
definition
of
what
constitutes
an
anti-Semitic
act
to
assist
in
investigating
illegal
discrimination
on
college
campuses.
The
law
is
in
no
way
intended
to
infringe
on
any
individual
right
protected
under
the
First
Amendment
of
the
Constitution.
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