ATLANTA, Georgia (Press Release)– In the face of skyrocketing antisemitism across the country, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed into law a bill making the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism the state’s official definition of anti-Jewish bias and discrimination.
The Georgia House of Representatives and Senate passed the bipartisan bill HB30 by overwhelming margins. This makes Georgia the 11th state to codify the IHRA definition for use in assessing possible cases of antisemitic crime and discrimination. An additional 23 states have endorsed the definition through legislative resolutions or executive proclamations.
The Israeli-American Council (IAC), and its legislative and policy-making sister organization, the Israeli-American Coalition for Action (IAC For Action), praised the Georgia General Assembly for adopting the IHRA definition by margins of 44 to 6 in the Senate and 129 to 5 in the House, and thanked Gov. Kemp for supporting and quickly ratifying the bill.
“We applaud Gov. Kemp and the Georgia Legislature for taking a bold stand against antisemitic and national origin discrimination,” said IAC For Action Board Chairman Shawn Evenhaim. “By acting today, Georgia is protecting their citizens against anti-Jewish bias and hatred, which has been at crisis levels since Oct. 7. We would especially like to thank HB30’s sponsors, Rep. John Carson — who has carried this bill for the past 3 years — and Rep. Esther Panitch, for their unwavering support in championing this initiative. IAC for Action has been proud to work with these legislators to resource this effort and bring the community together.”
The IHRA definition of antisemitism has broad consensus throughout the United States, across the world, and among Jewish organizations. Over 1,200 national, state, and local governments and major public entities have endorsed the IHRA definition in recent years, among them 8 federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of State, Education, and Justice. It has also been endorsed by 51 of the 53 member organizations of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations.
Elan Carr, IAC’s CEO and former U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, attended the ceremony. He said: “Rising Jew-hatred is a threat to all Americans, and Georgians today should feel deeply proud of what their government is doing to confront this scourge. The great State of Georgia has made the clearest possible statement that we’re going to identify, confront, and call out antisemitism, and when it rises to the level of a crime or discrimination, we’re going to use the full force of the law to rout it out. I salute Gov. Kemp and Reps. Carson and Panitch for their leadership in fighting for justice during these troubled times.”
Elsewhwere, Roz Rothstein, StandWithUs CEO, commented on the necessity of defining antisemitism. “It is encouraging to see state after state adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism at a time when antisemitism continues to run rife throughout America and the greater world,” she said. “Historically, the world has struggled to address antisemitism due to its evolving nature. Codifying the IHRA Definition remains crucial to helping authorities realize how antisemitism manifests both classically and contemporarily while serving as an essential tool that will help standardize the fight against antisemitism.”
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Preceding provided by the Israeli American Council and StandWithUs.