US Jewish faculty members call on Biden not to sign law preventing criticism of Israel

A group of around 700 US Jewish faculty members sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday urging him not to back the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act which would criminalise valid criticism of the state of Israel.

The university academics objected to the act’s use of the International Holocaust Awareness Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism which conflates criticism of the Zionist state with anti-Jewish racism. Concerns have been expressed that legitimate criticism of Israel could be considered to be anti-Semitic under the law.

The bill was approved in the House of Representatives last week, although 21 Republicans and 70 Democrats voted against it, with many expressing the same concerns as the faculty members.

“Criticism of the state of Israel, the Israeli government, policies of the Israeli government, or Zionist ideology is not — in and of itself — anti-Semitic,” insisted the signatories in their letter to Biden. “We accordingly urge our political leaders to reject any effort to codify into federal law a definition of anti-Semitism that conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of the state of Israel.”

The bill, the letter pointed out, could “delegitimise and silence Jewish Americans — among others — who advocate for Palestinian human rights or otherwise criticise Israeli policies,” by using the IHRA definition in federal law.

“By stifling criticism of Israel, the IHRA definition hardens the dangerous notion that Jewish identity is inextricably linked to every decision of Israel’s government,” added the signatories. “Far from combating anti-Semitism, this dynamic promises to amplify the real threats [that] Jewish Americans already face.”

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