Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) released the following statement after voting to pass H.R. 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023. Rep. Fleischmann co-sponsored the bill back in February and has strongly supported passage of the Antisemitism Awareness Act as, tragically, antisemitism has risen dramatically in the United States and globally in the aftermath of Hamas terrorists’ evil attacks on Israel and the Jewish People on October 7, 2023. The Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 codifies the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“Like countless Tennesseans and Americans across our nation, I’ve been saddened and disgusted by the rise in virulent antisemitism in our country and globally following Hamas’ evil October 7 attacks on Israel and the Jewish People. Here in America, antisemitic incidents soared over 360% following the October 7 attacks, and now we are seeing American Jewish students at colleges across our nation being harassed and targeted by pro-Hamas terrorist sympathizers for simply being Jewish or supporting Israel’s right to exist,” said Congressman Fleischmann.
“I am fortunate to have grown up with Holocaust survivors and their children – I know firsthand from their lived experiences how evil and dehumanizing antisemitism is. Our nation can never allow the ancient evil of anti-Jewish bigotry and antisemitism to take root. The Antisemitism Awareness Act is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that instructs the Department of Education (DOE) to adopt the IHRA’s widely accepted definition of antisemitism, which includes denying Jewish self-determination and applying double standards to the State of Israel when enforcing laws against discrimination in education programs under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.”
“Jewish Americans, and people of all faiths across our state and nation, are looking for leadership from their elected leaders. We cannot tolerate antisemitism, or any form of bigotry and hatred targeted at Americans because of their religious faith. I will always stand for the right of every American to practice their faith openly without fear of violence or harassment. I applaud my bipartisan colleagues for passing this critical bill and call on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to immediately pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 and President Biden to sign it into law.”
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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://fleischmann.house.gov/media/press-releases/fleischmann-votes-to-pass-the-antisemitism-awareness-act