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A1604
ASSEMBLY, No. 1604
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman SEAN T. KEAN
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen DePhillips, DiMaio, Assemblywoman Dunn,
Assemblymen Simonsen and McClellan
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes State definition of anti-Semitism.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
concerning anti-Semitism in the State of New Jersey and
supplementing Title 10 for the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:
���� a.���� Anti-Semitism, and
harassment on the basis of actual or perceived national origin, shared
ancestry, or ethnic characteristics with a religious group, remains a
persistent, pervasive, and disturbing problem in contemporary American society.
���� b.��� Data shows that Jews are
among the most likely of all minority groups to be victimized by incidents of
hate, and such incidents are increasing at an alarming rate.
���� c.���� Data also shows that
the State of New Jersey ranked third in the nation in anti-Semitic incidents
last year.
���� d.��� Campus anti-Semitism is
systemic, broad and deep, with recent studies showing that the number of Jewish
students experiencing anti-Semitism on campuses across the United States had
spiked to nearly 75 percent and, in 2017 alone, there were more than 204 reports
of anti-Semitic incidents of harassment, vandalism, or assault against Jewish
students on campus, an 89 percent increase from the previous year.
���� e.���� State officials and
institutions, including educational institutions, have a responsibility to
protect citizens from hate and bigotry, and must be given the tools to stem
both criminal conduct as well as discriminatory acts motivated by
anti-Semitism.
���� f.���� Valid monitoring,
informed analysis and investigating, and effective policy-making all require
uniform definitions.
���� g.��� The standard definition
of anti-Semitism, as used by the federal government, the 34 governments that
are members of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, all 57
countries, except Russia, that comprise the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, and the governments of the United Kingdom, Romania,
Austria, Germany, and Bulgaria, has been an essential definitional tool used to
determine contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism, and includes useful
examples of discriminatory anti-Israel acts that cross the line into
anti-Semitism.
���� h.��� Awareness of this
definition of anti-Semitism will increase understanding of the parameters of
contemporary anti-Jewish crime and discrimination.
���� 2.��� a.� For purposes of this
Act, the term �definition of anti-Semitism� refers to the definition adopted by
the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May 26, 2016, including the
�contemporary examples of antisemitism,� while noting that criticism of Israel
similar to that leveled against any other country shall not be considered
anti-Semitic.
���� b.��� In reviewing,
investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of any policy,
law, or regulation prohibiting discriminatory acts, the State shall take into
consideration this definition of anti-Semitism for purposes of determining
whether the alleged act was motivated by anti-Semitic intent.
���� c.���� Nothing contained in
this act, P.L.��� , c.��� (C.����� ) (pending before the Legislature as this
bill), shall be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected
under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, or paragraph 6 of
Article I of the New Jersey State Constitution.� Nothing in this act shall be
construed to conflict with local, State, or federal anti-discrimination laws or
regulations.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes a State
definition of anti-Semitism.� Under the bill, the term �definition of
anti-Semitism� refers to the definition adopted by the International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance on May 26, 2016, including the �contemporary examples of
antisemitism,� while noting that criticism of Israel similar to that leveled
against any other country is not antisemitic.
���� The bill provides that in
reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of any
policy, law, or regulation prohibiting discriminatory acts, the State must take
into consideration this definition of anti-Semitism for purposes of determining
whether the alleged act was motivated by anti-Semitic intent.
���� Under the bill, nothing
contained in the bill would be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right
protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, or paragraph 6 of
Article I of the New Jersey State Constitution.� The bill also provides that
nothing in the bill would be construed to conflict with local, State, or
federal anti-discrimination laws or regulations.