In March of 2024, during the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people perpetrated by the Israeli occupation, the New Jersey State legislature has brought forth two bills to silence opposition. Bills S2937 and S1292, both rejected by ACLU-NJ, attempt to define antisemitism using the IHRA definition, which equates criticism of the state of Israel with antisemitism.
These bills are extremely reminiscent of the federal HR 6090, legislation proposed to do the same thing, but on a national level.
The IHRA definition of antisemitism has absolutely no place in New Jersey or the United States. As I detailed in my statement on HR 6090, the IHRA definition was first introduced federally through an executive order under former president Donald Trump. These are far-right pieces of legislation which, even under Trump, didn’t go as far as NJ S2937, S1292, or HR 6090. We must reject these bills as they worm their way into our state legislature.
Additionally, we must also ask ourselves how these far-right extremist policies have moved into our state’s legislature long after Donald Trump’s presidency. We must challenge the notion of competition between the Democratic and Republican parties. Both parties represent profits for their corporate donors, and their policies reflect this. NJ S2937 and S1292 are no different– in light of the public outrage toward the profitable Israeli occupation’s genocide, New Jersey’s corporate interests would rather silence opposition to continue business-as-usual.
I fully condemn NJ S2937 and S1292. We will continue to resist any efforts made by governments, state or federal, to incorporate the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The idea that standing up against a genocide could be considered antisemitic is not just absurd: it also seeks to shift public perception and discourse away from Israel’s crimes against humanity. It sews the seeds of paranoia, spreading the politics of fear under a different name.
Palestinian liberation is collective liberation. I will always remain committed to the Palestinian struggle, as mandated by the will of the working people of New Jersey.
Ben Taylor
6/16/2024
Ben Taylor for NJ 