Dear Senators Grassley and Durbin, and Members of the Committee,

As the Washington Director of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, I write to share our organization’s perspective on this critical issue. As the largest national Jewish organization focused on domestic policy with supporters across the country, Bend the Arc is deeply concerned about antisemitism, as well as anti-Muslim, anti-Arab bigotry, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian hate, anti-LGBTQ hate, and anti-immigrant xenophobia in our country today. We work to fight antisemitism and other oppressions for the safety of our multiracial, multiethnic American Jewish community, and also for the health of our democracy more broadly.

It has been an extremely challenging time on campuses across the country. Anger, fear, and trauma following the attacks of October 7th and the subsequent war and siege of Gaza not only inflamed passions and fierce debates at American universities—it also sparked intimidation, exclusion, harassment, and sometimes violence. Every student deserves to be in an educational environment free from harassment. Far too many campus administrators failed in their mission to provide a safe environment to Jewish, Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students. It is not a zero-sum game—good university policies don’t pit one group against another, but protect all students.

Free speech is important — and not absolute. Universities have the right to make rules and policies about what types of protests will be permitted — location, length, and hours, for example. However, those rules and policies must be equally applied, regardless of the specific viewpoint of those protesting. Concerningly, certain police actions have been taken disproportionately toward pro-Palestinian protests (the vast majority of which were peaceful) under the guise of fighting antisemitism. We do not believe that infringing upon free speech is a way to fight antisemitism and additionally, it must be noted that this is not an issue of Jews versus non-Jews as there are many Jewish students who are protesting in support of Palestinian human rights.

The greatest threat to American Jews today is the white nationalist movement and its enablers — including in Congress and the White House—and their efforts to degrade American democracy and replace it with a white ethno-state. Antisemitism is part of the machinery of division and fear that this movement relies on for power. This is the same machinery these movements and their enablers use to endanger Black, Indigenous, and people of color, transgender people, people with disabilities, people who are immigrants, people who are Muslim, and so many more communities.

A core part of this movement’s dangerous rhetoric is the so-called “great replacement” conspiracy theory which has been cynically brought into the mainstream by politicians on the national stage, emboldening white supremacists and leading to violence against many communities. In the weeks before the massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the largest antisemitic attack in American history, political leaders, as well as press outlets, stoked fear through their “warnings” about a so-called “invasion” of refugees seeking asylum at our borders. Many added conspiracy theories about powerful Jewish financiers funding this supposed invasion. The murderer in Pittsburgh pointed to those very news reports and conspiracy theories as his motivation for committing mass violence against innocent Jews at prayer. With our colleagues at Political Research Associates (PRA), we detailed this dangerous process in our report, Taking Aim at Multiracial Democracy. The mainstreaming of the great replacement conspiracy theory was also horrifically at play in the shooting that killed 10 members of the Black community in Buffalo, as detailed by America’s Voice in their report, Two Years After the Deadly Terror Attack in Buffalo, the Replacement Theory has Only Gone More Mainstream.

It is critical that our elected officials denounce, and cease using the great replacement conspiracy theory and other related dangerous rhetoric such as “invasion” language. It is also critical that members of Congress denounce it when Presidential advisors such as Elon Musk and Steve Bannon throw up the Nazi salute when giving speeches to their base. This rhetoric and these actions stoke violence against the Jewish community as well as other communities targeted by white nationalism. We must also not forget that the Unite the Right rally was on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, a rally at which protestors shouted “Jews will not replace us.”

Finally, we urge the Committee to refrain from supporting the legal codification of a specific definition of antisemitism, including the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) definition, or encouraging universities to “adopt” this definition. Rather than a codified definition, we need a multi-pronged approach to countering antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, 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, or faith. Indeed, we know from decades of work with government entities that the absence of a codified definition does not prevent necessary and important work to fight antisemitism and other forms of hate crimes. Indeed, no other form of bias has a legally codified definition, and that fact does not hinder governments from enforcing statutes preventing discrimination, prosecuting hate crimes, and doing other important work to prevent hate violence.

The path toward a safer future for all people exists in a multiracial democracy where everyone has what they need to thrive. We know that Jewish safety is deeply connected to the safety of all people targeted by white supremacy, and the safety of every single one of us will not exist in isolation.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block
Washington Director
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action