IRATE OVER IHRA Free Speech Advocates Speak Out vs Lame Duck Vote on Controversial Antisemitism Bill at State House Press Conference
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS RELEASE IRATE OVER IHRA Free Speech Advocates Speak Out vs Lame Duck Vote on Controversial Antisemitism Bill at State House Press Conference Photos, Videos, and Additional Information |
| On Thursday, November 6, at 9:30 AM, the NJ Coalition for Free Speech held a press conference at the New Jersey State House, calling on Assembly Speaker Coughlin to drop A3558, a bill that would codify the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism into New Jersey law, rather than bringing it up for a vote in the lame duck session. Speakers addressed how the IHRA Definition falsely labels criticism of Israel and its actions as antisemitism and why codifying this definition into law threatens constitutionally protected free speech. Participants wore gags with the words “No IHRA” over their mouths to symbolize A3558’s threat to the free speech of New Jerseyans and held banners reading “IHRA CENSORS FREE SPEECH. PROTECT FREE SPEECH. REJECT IHRA.” and “NJ COALITION FOR FREE SPEECH SAYS: NO TO CENSORSHIP. STAND UP FOR DEMOCRACY. PROTECT FREE SPEECH. REJECT IHRA” and “NO IHRA IN NJ.” Efforts to codify IHRA as a legal definition of antisemitism through bills like A3558 and its Senate companion, S1292 have been criticized by civil liberties and human rights groups, who argue that codifying the IHRA definition into law threatens to chill free speech, undermine academic freedom and student activism, and contribute to state repression of pro-Palestine activists, especially targeting Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and Jewish voices critical of Israeli policy, by falsely conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Advocacy groups across the country have faced defunding, harassment, or criminalization under similar measures. Among the organizations who oppose codifying IHRA into law and policy are the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), The Center for Constitutional Rights, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, The National Lawyers Guild, Amnesty International Human Rights Watch, and hundreds of academics and Jewish organizations. Even Kenneth Stern, the lead drafter of the IHRA Definition opposes codifying IHRA into law. Speakers included: Ali Aljarrah, Senior Advisor to CAIR Action Ana Paola, Executive Director of Resistencia en Accion NJ Asma Elhuni, Organizer with American Muslims for Palestine NJ Charlene Walker, Executive Director of Faith in NJ Chris Sotiro, Deputy Executive Director of Climate Revolution Action Network Dena Mottola Jaborska, Associate Director of NJ Citizen Action Donna Ristorucci, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace Northern New Jersey Haliema Twam, Civic Engagement and Advocacy Manager for the Palestinian American Community Center Heather Pierce, President of Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union Jim Sullivan, Deputy Policy Director of the ACLU of NJ Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of Neturei Karta International Selaedin Maksut, CAIR-NJ Executive Director “Antisemitism is real and must be confronted wherever it appears. But codifying the IHRA definition into state law risks confusing the fight against hate with the regulation of speech. As civil-rights advocates, we’ve seen how vague standards can chill academic inquiry and legitimate political debate—especially for educators, students, and workers engaging with issues of human rights. New Jersey can and should combat antisemitism while upholding the same constitutional protections that safeguard every community’s voice,” said Ali Aljarrah, CAIR-Action NJ Senior Advisor. “Companies like Paragon Solutions, which develops spyware for Israeli intelligence, now provide surveillance tools used to target our immigrant communities here. The violence inflicted on Palestinians has become the model ICE uses for the violence they enact in our communities. And the IHRA definition acts as the political shield for that system. If legislators want to stand with the people , IHRA is not it. But we have something they should be passing -the Immigrant Trust Act. For months, our communities have been organizing, testifying, and pleading for protections that should have been law years ago for immigrants. And yet, leadership continues to stall. Pass The ITA already and make sure the IHRA definition never sees the light of day.” said Ana Paola, Executive Director of Resistencia En Accion NJ “Protecting free speech and fighting hate must go hand in hand. We don’t have to sacrifice one to achieve the other. Enshrining the IHRA definition into law risks creating a gag rule that chills protected political speech and advocacy, especially for Muslims, Jews, and communities speaking out on issues of human rights and justice. Our lawmakers have an obligation to protect the speech rights and should reject this bill.” said Antoinette Miles, Executive Director of NJ Working Families Alliance. “Leqaa Kordia is being held in detention simply for speaking about the genocide of her family in Gaza. That’s exactly what the IHRA definition enables: punishing truth-telling while claiming to fight hate. Real justice means protecting people, not silencing them,” said Asma Elhuni, a representative of American Muslims for Palestine NJ. “The controversy over IHRA legislation is not a Muslim vs Jewish thing, as it has widely been portrayed. The Jewish Federations, which have been lobbying for it in New Jersey for years, do not speak for all Jews. There are many thousands of us who oppose it. There are more than half a dozen Jewish organizations representing thousands of Jewish constituents who oppose the adoption of IHRA and have joined the NJ Coalition for Free Speech.” said Donna Ristorucci of Jewish Voice for Peace Northern NJ. “Our message is clear: keep the IHRA definition out of New Jersey law. This isn’t good policymaking—it’s censorship and performance. The IHRA bill silences Palestinian voices and punishes people for demanding freedom and justice. We need real priorities like the Immigrant Trust Act and the Voting Rights Act. Teachers shouldn’t have to choose between protecting students and complying with ICE, and voter intimidation must end. Lawmakers should be protecting our rights, not restricting them.” said Haliema Twam, PACC Civic Engagement and Advocacy Manager “This bill is not really about antisemitism, and while perhaps well-intentioned, risks stifling open inquiry, limiting the free exchange of ideas, and imposing external pressures on curriculum and research. It could empower political bodies to interfere in academic decisions, dictating what can be taught, researched, and discussed within our institutions” said Heather Pierce, President of the Rutgers University Adjunct Faculty Union “ACLU-NJ stands in strong opposition to S1292/A3558 and its adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Enshrining this definition into New Jersey law will chill the First Amendment rights of New Jerseyans and set a dangerous precedent for free speech in the state. The IHRA definition of antisemitism conflates protected political speech with unprotected discrimination. The definition threatens to prohibit speech based on viewpoint alone. To be clear, the ability to criticize governments and their policies, including Israel’s government, is protected political speech. Because the IHRA definition is overbroad, passage of this bill would significantly chill the exercise of free speech and protests, rights guaranteed for all by the First Amendment,” said Jim Sullivan, ACLU-NJ Deputy Policy Director. “CAIR-New Jersey stands firmly against antisemitism and all forms of bigotry. 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, said Maheen Mumtaz, CAIR-NJ Government Affairs Associate. “This bill is being pushed by anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim extremists who want to change the definition of antisemitism from hatred of Jews to opposition to the genocide of the Palestinian people. Its purpose is to silence human rights advocates. It has nothing to do with combatting real antisemitism,” said Rabbi Yitzchok Deutsch of Neturei Karta International CAIR Action NJ is an affiliate of CAIR Action, a 501(c)(4) organization. Our mission is to engage, educate, and mobilize Muslim voters, train emerging leaders, and champion policy priorities that enhance the well-being and representation of Muslim communities. END CONTACT: Ali AljarrahSenior Advisor. CAIR Action NJ(973) 303-7300 aaljarrah@cairaction.org CAIR Action Communications media@cairaction.org |
