Tomorrow, the Wisconsin Assembly Committee on State Affairs will hold a public hearing about bill AB 446 — a bill that claims to fight antisemitism in Wisconsin, but in reality, suppresses free speech and would make Jews and all of us less safe.
We are tracking and fighting legislation like this across the country because we believe bills like this undermine the fight to dismantle antisemitism and will be another tool for Trump and MAGA Republicans to carry out their authoritarian agenda. That’s why we need you to make your voice heard and email the committee members and your state lawmakers today.
Bill AB4461 aims to codify a controversial definition of antisemitism into WI state law known as the IHRA definition. As American Jews, we understand the need for a robust response to combat antisemitism. However, Bend the Arc and other Jewish and civil rights organizations agree that this specific definition poses a threat to free speech and open discourse.2
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.3 The IHRA definition broadly characterizes criticism of Israel as antisemitic, which can be used to obfuscate what antisemitism actually is and stifle genuine debate.
In this present moment, we are concerned not merely for Jewish safety, but for our democracy, which is essential to the safety of Jews in the United States. If passed, this bill would be another tool for MAGA Republicans to carry out their authoritarian agenda in the false name of Jewish safety, and we cannot let that happen.
In solidarity,
The Bend the Arc team
Sources:
1. Wisconsin State Legislature, https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/ab446
2. Bend the Arc opposes codifying the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, bendthearc.us
3. Weaponizing antisemitism makes students 'less safe,' says drafter of definition, NPR.
