|
Washington,
D.C.-
Today,
U.S.
Senators
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
and
Bob
Casey
(D-PA),
along
with
U.S.
Representatives
Peter
J.
Roskam
(R-IL),
Ted
Deutch
(D-FL),
Doug
Collins
(R-GA),
and
Jerrold
Nadler
(D-NY),
introduced
bipartisan
legislation
to
combat
the
rising
tide
of
anti-Semitism
in
schools
and
on
college
campuses
across
the
nation.
The
"Anti-Semitism
Awareness
Act"
directs
the
Department
of
Education
(DOE)
to
use
a
widely-accepted
definition
of
anti-Semitism
when
determining
if
incidents
of
harassment
or
discrimination
that
are
potentially
in
violation
of
U.S.
anti-discrimination
law
were
motivated
by
anti-Semitism.
According
to
recent
reports,
anti-Semitic
attacks
on
college
campuses
have
risen
sharply
in
recent
years.
Unfortunately,
the
Department
lacks
firm
guidance
on
how
to
define
anti-Semitism.
By
codifying
the
definition
of
anti-Semitism
adopted
by
the
U.S.
State
Department’s
Special
Envoy
to
Monitor
and
Combat
Anti-Semitism,
this
legislation
will
enable
the
DOE
to
protect
students
from
the
most
insidious
and
modern
forms
of
anti-Semitism.
This
legislation
would
not
diminish
or
infringe
upon
any
individual’s
First
Amendment
rights
or
school's
academic
freedom.
Rather,
it
provides
the
Department
of
Education’s
Office
of
Civil
Rights
with
a
guideline
for
determining
whether
cases
that
already
rise
to
the
level
of
actionable
discrimination
were
motivated
by
anti-Jewish
animus.
Text
of
the
legislation
can
be
accessed
here.
A
fact
sheet
on
the
legislation
can
be
found
here.
“With
recent
reports
showing
a
significant
increase
in
anti-Semitism
on
college
campuses
across
America,
it
is
essential
that
the
Department
of
Education
has
a
clear
and
concise
definition
of
what
constitutes
anti-Semitism,”
Senator
Scott
said.
“I
want
to
thank
our
bipartisan
group
of
colleagues
for
working
across
the
aisle
on
this
important
bill
to
give
the
Department
of
Education
an
important
tool
in
the
fight
against
hatred,
harassment
and
discrimination.”
“The
rise
of
religiously-motivated
hate
crimes
and
religious
discrimination
across
our
country
is
unacceptable,"
Senator
Casey
said.
“This
legislation
will
help
the
Department
of
Education
investigate
incidents
of
discrimination
motivated
by
anti-Semitism
in
our
schools,
which
should
be
safe
environments
for
students
from
all
backgrounds.
I’m
proud
to
work
on
this
bipartisan
legislation,
which
aims
to
combat
anti-Semitism
while
preserving
freedom
of
speech.”
“There
is
no
place
for
anti-Semitism
or
religious
discrimination
on
our
college
campuses,"
said
Rep.
Roskam.
"Across
the
nation,
we’re
witnessing
a
significant
rise
in
Jewish
students
being
targeted
and
harassed
for
no
reason
other
than
their
identity.
In
Illinois,
anti-Semitic
incidents
have
nearly
doubled
in
recent
years.
With
numerous
incidences
of
anti-Semitic
vandalism,
propaganda
and
cases
of
harassment
surfacing
across
Illinois’
universities,
we
must
stand
together
against
hate.
This
legislation
would
ensure
that
the
Department
of
Education
is
properly
able
to
identify
all
forms
of
anti-Semitic
incidences
when
investigating
illegal
discrimination
on
campus.
Like
all
other
students,
Jewish
students
have
the
right
to
feel
safe
on
campus.
With
this
legislation,
Congress
can
play
an
important
role
in
this
effort."
“I’ve
heard
far
too
many
stories
from
Jewish
students
of
the
anti-Semitism
they
face
in
schools
and
on
college
campuses
every
day,"
Rep.
Deutch
said.
"Jewish
students,
like
students
of
any
religion,
should
not
live
in
fear
of
attacks
because
of
their
religion.
They
shouldn’t
have
to
fear
wearing
Judaic
symbols
or
expressing
their
support
for
Israel.
As
we
work
to
combat
all
forms
of
discrimination
and
hate,
Congress
must
act
to
protect
Jewish
students
on
campus,
and
this
legislation
would
help
the
Education
Department
stem
this
troubling
trend.”
“As
many
college
campuses
continue
to
be
sites
of
anti-Semitic
harassment,
the
Anti-Semitism
Awareness
Act
offers
the
Department
of
Education
an
effective
tool
for
investigating
whether
prohibited
bigoted
actions
have
become
a
barrier
to
learning.
This
bill
upholds
First
Amendment
freedoms
and
supports
students’
access
to
higher
learning
free
from
anti-Semitic
abuse,
and
I
thank
Congressman
Roskam
for
introducing
this
important
legislation,”
said
Rep.
Collins.
“With
the
disturbing
rise
in
anti-Semitism
and
other
forms
of
discrimination
on
college
campuses,
the
Department
of
Education
must
have
all
the
tools
it
needs
to
identify
harassment
and
discrimination
of
any
kind,”
said
Rep.
Nadler,
Ranking
Member
of
the
House
Judiciary
Committee.
“All
students
deserve
to
feel
safe
and
secure
on
their
college
campus
no
matter
their
race,
gender,
sexual
orientation,
or
religion.
The
informational
guidelines
provided
for
in
this
legislation
will
help
the
Department
by
providing
a
deeper
understanding
of
the
full
scope
of
potential
discrimination
and
harassment
against
Jewish
students.”
### |