Voting to Protect Our Speech in NJ From IHRA Fraud: Slate-of-80 to Challenge NJ Assembly in 2025
In June of 2024, a NJ Senate committee voted in favor of the problematic IHRA Bills S1292 and S2937 despite resounding opposition. Although these bills have passed this committee, they have not been fully considered on the full Senate floor. These bills use the fraudulent IHRA narrative that conflates Israel and Judaism. IHRA implies that all of the depravity that Israel brings to the Palestinian people and others throughout the world is somehow connected to the Jewish faith and to criticize Israel’s genocidal activities is equivalent to antisemitism. IHRA is a lie and a smear. The smear is against those who rightfully oppose Israel and its policies as well as against Judaism because it implies that the faith somehow can justify and condone Israel’s depravities.
The laws if passed will provide pretext for legal, police and military action in NJ against those of us who call for an end to the US supported Israel genocide of Palestinians and its endless war escalations in the Middle East.
Many of the Jewish faith reject the false IHRA conflation narrative completely and they reject the genocidal slaughter committed by Israel. They also reject the idea that Judaism justifies the horrid actions of Israel.
The Senate version of the bills are NJS 1292 and 2937. In the June ’24 committee vote, John McKeon Essex County Democrat and the bill’s two sponsors, Democrat James Beach and Republican Robert Singer, as well as state Sen. Vincent Polistina, R-Egg Harbor, voted for it and NJ Senator Shirley Turner D-15 was the only vote to protect our free speech.
Quoting a Rutgers AAUP – AFT statement:
“The Rutgers faculty unions strongly oppose New Jersey Senate Bills 1292 and 2937. These bills would embed in state law the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) “Working Definition of Antisemitism” document, which falsely conflates criticism of or opposition to Israel and Zionism with anti-Jewish racism. If adopted, the distorted IHRA definition, in the words of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “would likely silence a range of protected speech including criticism of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians” and would also disallow the “sharing (of) differing beliefs about the right to a Jewish state.” This would violate both the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article 1, Section 6, of the New Jersey State Constitution.”
There is a strong highly organized effort right now of NJ’s humane citizens and residents that are united to end the genocide lobbying and telling the politicians why these attacks on our freedom are wrong. There is also a highly FUNDED effort organized by pro-Israel lobby groups working together with the IDF to try to push toward the criminalization of opposition to slaughtering people. It seems that the Democrats are in the pocket of that sector.
The best way to speak clearly to those who would have us prosecuted, beaten and even killed by police and military for our protected speech opposing genocide is to take it on politically in the elections. We have already appealed to their sense of justice and recognition of our rights – they are showing they have none. In 2025 the full NJ Assembly, all 80 seats (but no NJ Senators) will be up for elections in NJ. FightBackBetter and a growing committee has launched a plan to challenge all 80 Assembly seats with candidates that support and defend protected free speech rights.
We have already recruited about 2-dozen possible participants but there is a vetting process of the potential candidates to determine if they really have capacity. Candidates have to be paired up in the NJ Legislative Districts they would be running to represent.100 signatures are needed to run for Assembly in NJ in either the primary or general race. The signatures have to be of registered voters in the respective legislative district and for the primary, the signatures have to be from registered members of the party (D or R) designation they intend to challenge.
If you MIGHT be interested- -please complete the form below.
YES CONTINGENT UPON CAPACITY, I MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN RUNNING FOR NJ ASSEMBLY IN 2025 TO PROTECT FREE SPEECH IN NJ FROM THE LEGISLATION SPONSORED BY NJ DEMOCRATS! ALSO IF YOU CAN NOT RUN BUT WOULD SIGN PETITION, POSSIBLY HELP AND VOTE FOR SUCH CANDIDATES – PLEASE ALSO FILL OUT BUT INDICATE THAT IN PARAGRAPH AREA.
