WASHINGTON – The Nexus Project today applauded the introduction of the Antisemitism Response and Prevention Act (ARPA) by Representatives Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Maxwell Frost (FL-10) and Becca Balint (VT-AL).
ARPA takes a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to combating antisemitism by investing in what actually works. The bill fully funds the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and reverses the Trump administration’s closure of regional offices. It creates a Hate Crime Reporting Center to ensure accurate tracking of all hate crimes nationwide. It establishes a nonpolitical National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism within the Department of Justice to lead a whole-of-government response. And it expands the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to protect synagogues, Jewish community centers, and other at-risk institutions.
Critically, ARPA includes safeguards against the weaponization of antisemitism for partisan purposes. The bill affirms that criticism of Israeli government policy is protected speech under the First Amendment, ensures nonprofit security grants cannot be conditioned on partisan political ideologies, and clearly states it is against U.S. policy to use antisemitism accusations as pretext for attacking educational institutions or suppressing constitutionally protected speech.
“This bill reflects what the Nexus Project has long championed: that democracy and Jewish safety are inseparable,” said Jonathan Jacoby, President and National Director of the Nexus Project. “At a moment when some are exploiting Jewish fears to advance partisan agendas, Representatives Nadler, DeLauro, Frost, and Balint have shown that Congress can take antisemitism seriously while defending the democratic values that have historically kept Jewish Americans safe. We hope all Members of Congress will support this legislation.”