Jewish, Muslim, Civil Liberties Groups Decry Committee Advancement of Bill Labeling Pro-Palestine Speech As Antisemitic

For Immediate Release Contact: Adam Weissman (201)470-3112
7/24/25 Aya Elamroussi    (551) 208-5482

News Release

Jewish, Muslim, Civil Liberties Groups Decry Committee Passage of Bill Labelling Pro-Palestine Speech As Antisemitic

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TRENTON, NJ –  NJ Jewish and Muslim organizations, faith leaders, civil libertarians, and immigrant rights advocates expressed outrage Thursday at the NJ Assembly State and Local Government Committee’s  unanimously vote in support of  A3558, a bill that would codify the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) definition of antisemitism into law. The vote followed a rally by opponents of the bill and 8 hours of testimony with a 2:1 ratio in opposition. Advocates remain committed to defeating the bill and are proceeding with a statewide educational effort including a series of videos by NJ Jews against the IHRA bill.

“CAIR-New Jersey stands firmly against antisemitism and all forms of bigotry,” said Maheen Mumtaz, CAIR-New Jersey government affairs associate. “However, we strongly condemn the bill’s goal to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism into state law. We know for a fact this bill would effectively silence advocacy and activism for Palestinian human rights by falsely conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. We reject the weaponization of antisemitism for political gains that would only benefit and fuel the ongoing genocide in Gaza.” “Codifying IHRA endangers academic freedom, student rights, and religious liberty. Free speech is essential to a healthy democracy,” said Rachel Altman of the ACLU of New Jersey.

On June 23,  the Assembly Community Development and Women’s Affairs committee declined to vote on the bill as a result at a hearing packed with New Jerseyans testifying in opposition. Thereafter, Speaker Coughlin reassigned the bill to the State and Local Government Committee, whose members are all cosponsors of the bill. “Rather than deferring to the committee he originally assigned to, which chose not to advance the IHRA bill in response to overwhelming public opposition, Speaker Coughlin manipulated the legislative process to win the support of politically powerful anti-Palestinian racist groups in advance of the November election.” said Adam Weissman of Teaneck for Palestine.

Among those testifying was Mehdi Rabee, brother of Amer Rabee, a 14 year old resident of Saddle Brook, New Jersey resident who was shot and killed in the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya by Israeli soldiers , in what their father described as “a field execution.”. In response to hearing attendees applauding his testimony, committee chair Robert J. Karabinchak punitively limited subsequent testimony to 1 minute. However no punitive measures were taken during several incidents of shoving and harassment by supporters of the bill and when an Islamophobic bill supporter taunted Muslims in the room by holding up an offensive image on her tablet and repeatedly saying “Look, it’s Mohammed” and another bill-supporter who threatened to bomb a mosque.

Participating organizations in the rally included American Civil Liberties Union New Jersey (ACLU NJ), American Muslims for Palestine – NJ (AMP NJ), Black Lives Matter-Paterson (BLM Paterson), Climate Revolution Action Network (CRAN), Council on American Islamic Relations Action NJ (CAIR Action NJ), Council on American Islamic Relations NJ (CAIR-NJ), Educators for Palestine, Emgage Action, Faith in New Jewish, IfNotNow Central NJ, Islamic Center of Passaic County (ICPC), Jewish Voice for Peace Central NJ (JVP CNJ), Jewish Voice for Peace Northern NJ (JVP NNJ), Jews for Palestinian Right of Return (JPRR), Labor for Palestine, National Iranian American Council, Neturei Karta International – Jews United Against Zionism, New Jersey Muslim Civic Coalition (NJ MCC), NJ Anti-Zionist Minyan, PAL-Awda NY/NJ, Palestinian American Community Center (PACC), Peoples Organization for Progress (POP), Resistencia En Accion NJ, Wind of Spirit (WoS) and others.

BACKGROUND

Efforts to codify IHRA as a legal definition of antisemitism have been criticized by civil liberties and human rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), The Center for Constitutional Rights, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and the National Lawyers Guild, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.. Even pro-Israel groups including J Street and New Jewish Narrative oppose IHRA, which the latter argues “conflates antisemitism with legitimate criticism of the policies and actions of the Israeli government.“ 

“The IHRA bill defines speaking out against the State of Israel’s colonialism and structural racism as antisemitism instead of focusing on the real threats to Jews right now from white supremacists. We have the right to critique any country, including the US and Israel” added Gabi Rubinstein of Jewish human rights organizations NJ Anti-Zionist Minyan and IfNotNow. 

The vote comes one day after the Israeli Knesset passed a resolution supporting annexation of the West Bank, a move condemned by the European commission, whose spokesperson, Anouar El Anouni, stated that. “Annexation is illegal under international law. Any concrete steps taken in that direction would be considered a breach of international law.,” In 2014, US Secretary of State John Kerry argued that annexation without full citizenship rights for West Bank Palestinians  would constitute “an apartheid state with second-class citizens.”

On Monday, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that “I don’t know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it’s man-made, and that’s very clear. This is because of (the) blockade” after 100 aid and human rights organizations called for governments to act to end the famine created by Israel.

“Our Palestinian community should not live in fear of being labeled antisemitic for speaking out about our families living under occupation or being killed in Gaza,” added Alaa Chahid, Director of Community Organizing at the Palestinian American Community Center (PACC).

“The IHRA definition has been used across the country to criminalize criticism of Israeli policies and target Palestinian students. A3558 is a threat to civil liberties and a betrayal of New Jersey’s communities,” said Ali Aljarrah, Senior Advisor with CAIR Action NJ.

Opponents of the bill are also critical that the Assembly is taking time to hold unusual summer sessions to move the IHRA bill while the Immigrant Trust Act (ITA – A4987), a vital protection in a state where immigrant families continue to face detention, deportation, and racial profiling.  “Every day the Legislature delays the Immigrant Trust Act, families stay at risk,” said Asma Elhuni of Resistencia En Accion NJ. “Enough political games, pass the ITA now and cancel IHRA once and for all.”

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