Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, signed state Assembly bill 446, which codifies the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred, and 26 other bills into law on March 27.
The new state law also adopts the contemporary examples appended to the IHRA definition. Those include “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination,” for example “by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” and “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
David Soffer, director of engagement at the Combat Antisemitism Movement, said that “since policymakers chose clarity and consistency in the fight against antisemitism, Jewish Wisconsinites are safer today.”
“AB 446 gives public institutions a common reference point to recognize anti-Jewish bias when it surfaces so responses can be timely, fair and grounded in established standards,” he stated. “AB 446 will help agencies and schools evaluate allegations responsibly and apply existing policies with greater precision, all while keeping First Amendment protections fully intact.”
“The enactment of this bill is a significant step forward in addressing rising Jew-hatred across Wisconsin and serves as an example to other policymakers throughout the United States,” he added.
Francesca Hong, a member of the Wisconsin state Assembly and a Democrat, said that she was “disappointed that Gov. Evers has signed into law a controversial definition of antisemitism that will compromise free speech across the state and academic freedom at our universities”
The state representative said that the bill “will likely make criticism of the State of Israel a discriminatory offense” and that “antisemitism and Islamophobia continue to rise, and I’ve heard from hundreds of constituents that laws like this will not make anyone safer.”
The IHRA definition, which has been adopted widely, makes clear that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”
