YIR: Antisemitism Definition Bill Passes on Third Try

The third time was the charm for those wanting Georgia to define antisemitism.

On Jan. 25, the Georgia Senate and then the House passed a bill that added to the state code a reference to the definition adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Because the legislation, known as House Bill 30, last year stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee, that is where its 2024 journey began. This time, the measure unanimously cleared the committee and then the full Senate 44-6.

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Back in the House, a sizable contingent of supporters from Atlanta’s Jewish community cheered from the gallery as Republican Speaker Jon Burns announced the result, 129-5.

Standing in the center aisle on the House floor, a beaming Jewish Democratic Rep. Esther Panitch hugged the bill’s chief sponsor, Republican Rep. John Carson.

The IHRA definition reads: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The IHRA definition has been controversial less for that wording than 11 accompanying examples of antisemitism, particularly several that deal with Israel — among them accusing Jews outside of Israel of dual loyalty, comparing Israel to Nazis, calling Israel “racist,” “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination,” and applying standards to Israel “not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”