The Ohio Senate advanced legislation on Wednesday aimed at incorporating the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism into state law for use in investigations and legal proceedings.
SB 87, sponsored by Terry Johnson, a Republican state senator, would allow the IHRA definition to help provide law enforcement and investigators with clearer guidance when determining whether crimes were motivated by antisemitism.
The measure, which passed by a bipartisan vote of 27-4, now heads to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration.
“As antisemitic intimidation and violence continue to batter Jewish communities across the U.S., a bipartisan, overwhelming majority in the Ohio Senate sent a clear message to our community: we stand with you,” Howie Beigelman, a consultant to and former CEO of Ohio Jewish Communities, stated.
“Today we are one step closer to codifying what so many other states already have done: hate in your heart and hate when spoken is a First Amendment-protected activity,” he wrote. “But hate when acted upon is illegal.”
He added that the bill does not restrict free speech. “But step over the line and violate a law, and this will help investigators know your true motive,” he stated.
The Christians United for Israel Action Fund also welcomed the vote, urging the state House to pass the “vital legislation.”
“You cannot defeat what you are unwilling to define,” the group wrote.
The ACLU of Ohio condemned the bill’s passage, calling it an “anti-free speech bill.”
“Ohioans have a First Amendment right to criticize foreign governments without fear of retaliation,” the group stated.
The vote follows a public hearing on the bill, at which Khalid Turaani, Ohio region executive director of the Council on American–Islamic Relations, said before the Ohio state Senate that Israel operates the “largest human skin bank in the world.”
The Ohio Jewish Caucus criticized the remarks as “dangerous and antisemitic,” adding that “there is clearly a tremendous need for more education and understanding.”
