Read the full stored bill text
S3581
SENATE, No. 3581
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes State definition of anti-Semitism;
creates public awareness campaign; and appropriates $100,000.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning the definition of anti-Semitism, creating a
bias crimes reporting public awareness campaign in the State of New Jersey,
supplementing Title 10 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.
����
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 Jewish
people 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. Anti-Semitism on campus is
systemic, broad and deep, with recent studies showing that the number of Jewish
students experiencing anti-Semitism 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.
���� i. The Office of the Attorney
General, through its Bias Crimes Reporting unit, plays a pivotal role in
combatting anti-Semitism and ensuring that those responsible for bias crimes
are brought to justice.
���� j. �Raising public awareness
on how to report bias crimes, particularly through the dedicated bias crime
reporting hotline within the Office of the Attorney General, is crucial for
fostering a safer environment for disadvantaged communities in New Jersey.
���� 2. a. For purposes of
subsection b. of this section, the �definition of anti-Semitism� means the
definition adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)
on May 26, 2016,
which states that
�antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred
toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are
directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward
Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.� The definition shall
include the IHRA�s
�contemporary examples of antisemitism.�
���� 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 the definition of anti-Semitism adopted by the IHRA for purposes
of determining whether the alleged act was motivated by anti-Semitic intent.
���� c. Nothing contained in this
section, 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 section shall be construed to diminish or infringe upon
any right to criticize the government of the State of Israel in a manner
similar to that leveled against any other country.
�Nothing in this
section shall be construed to conflict with local, State, or federal
anti-discrimination laws or regulations.
���� 3. �a. �The Office of the
Attorney General shall establish a public awareness campaign to promote bias
crime reporting in New Jersey and the resources available through the New
Jersey Bias Crimes Reporting Unit.
���� b. �The public awareness
campaign shall include, but need not be limited to: providing community
outreach; training on how to identify and report bias crimes; disseminating
information to the public about the resources available through the New Jersey
Bias Crimes Reporting Unit, including the bias crime reporting hotline.
���� 4. �There is appropriated the
sum of $100,000 from the General Fund to the Office of the Attorney General to
establish a public awareness campaign in accordance with section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill), to promote bias crime reporting and the
resources available through the New Jersey Bias Crimes Reporting Unit.
���� 5. �This act shall take effect
30 days following the date of enactment.
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, which states that �antisemitism is a certain
perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical
and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or
non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community
institutions and religious facilities.� The definition would include the IHRA�s
�contemporary examples of antisemitism.�
���� 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 adopted by the IHRA for
purposes of determining whether the alleged act was motivated by anti-Semitic
intent.
���� 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. Nothing in the bill would be construed to
diminish or infringe upon any right to criticize the government of the State of
Israel in a manner similar to that leveled against any other country. Nothing
in the bill would be construed to conflict with local, State, or federal
anti-discrimination laws or regulations.
���� The bill also appropriates
$100,000 to the Office of the Attorney General for the creation of a public
awareness campaign to promote bias crime reporting. Through extensive community
outreach, the citizens of New Jersey will be empowered to identify and report
bias crimes using the existing bias crime reporting hotline within the New
Jersey Bias Crimes Reporting Unit. This appropriation represents an investment
in safety and collective action against bias crimes, including acts considered
anti-Semitic.