Nexus Project Responds to the Reintroduction of the Antisemitism Awareness Act

“To counter the very serious threat of rising antisemitism, we need our elected officials to pursue effective and responsible solutions. While there is undoubtedly a critical role for Congress to play in keeping our communities safer, we believe the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) is deeply flawed and contentious legislation — and that Congress should choose a different  approach. 

“The AAA's cornerstone — the IHRA definition of antisemitism — has very significant and concerning limitations and problems. Definitions like IHRA can be useful tools for raising awareness, but its own author has made clear that it was intended as a non-legally binding educational tool, not as a general speech code. Nexus and many other Jewish groups and civil rights organizations have warned that the definition's examples conflating anti-Israel stances with antisemitism could improperly chill legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies. 

“A recent federal court in Texas ruled that aspects of the IHRA definition are unconstitutional when applied in educational settings. The ruling validated what legal experts have warned about for years: that attempting to codify IHRA into law would inevitably face constitutional challenges due to its vague standards and potential to suppress protected, legitimate free speech.

“The bill also declares that alternate definitions of antisemitism are unhelpful in the fight against antisemitism. This is clearly absurd - in truth, multiple definitions of antisemitism have utility and value as tools to help identify, understand and respond to antisemitism in different contexts. Definitions like IHRA can be useful tools for raising awareness, but IHRA was intended as a non-legally binding educational tool by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance itself. Formal definitions of other forms of discrimination are not codified into law for very good reason. 

“The obsession with the IHRA definition and the supposed urgency of passing the AAA has been an unhelpful and divisive distraction — especially at a time when the new Trump administration is employing and empowering those who spread antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracies. This legislation will not make Jewish Americans safer, and could in fact be used to undermine civil liberties and target partner communities in a way that is deeply harmful to the broader struggle against antisemitism. 

Congress should abandon the attempt to pass this problematic bill, and instead focus on expanding practical programs and resources that will make a real difference in protecting Jewish communities.”