Anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise in New Jersey. Condemnation of all forms of Jew-hatred is necessary and important, but not enough. Education and dialogue are needed to address Jew-hatred in New Jersey. To be able to truly engage in education and dialogue to combat such bigotry, the State of New Jersey needs to adopt a definition of anti-Semitism.
In May 2022, S2434/A3882 was introduced in the New Jersey State Legislature, which would establish the definition of anti-Semitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (“IHRA”) in 2016 as the State’s definition of anti-Semitism. The IHRA defines anti-Semitism as