The New Jersey Assembly is trying to pass A3558, a bill that would codify a dangerous definition of antisemitism into law. Add your name to our petition below from American Jews to the New Jersey Legislature urging them to reject any attempt to stifle speech in the false name of Jewish safety.
As American Jews and allies, we understand the need for a robust response to combat antisemitism. However, we reject the New Jersey Assembly’s attempts to pass A3558 and codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. We — and other Jewish organizations — believe that this specific definition undermines the fight to dismantle antisemitism and could actually endanger Jews and all of us.
Even Kenneth Stern, one of the core authors of the definition has spent years voicing his concerns about the definition being used in law and the way that the definition has been used to challenge free speech and organizing.
In this present moment, we are concerned not merely for Jewish safety, but for our democracy, which is essential to the safety of Jews and all of us in the United States. The Trump administration is already using the facade of “fighting antisemitism” to enact a cruel, authoritarian agenda — and this would be another tool at their disposal.
We urge the New Jersey Assembly to reject A3558. Rather than a codified definition, we need a multi-pronged approach to fighting antisemitism and all forms of bigotry that uses the existing tools of government as well as structural reforms that ensure a thriving and inclusive democracy where every single one of us is safe, no matter our race, class, ability, or faith.