The Danger of Expanding the Definition of Anti-Semitism
Last week the U.S. House of Representatives, in a 320-91 vote, approved the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act (ASAA), requiring the Department of Education to expand the definition of anti-Semitism as demanded by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). This bipartisan measure, expected to be adopted by the Senate, comes at a time when police authorities are seeking to suppress anti-Israel protests that have been raging at college campuses across the country where protesters have been demanding their respective universities divest from support for the Israeli military.
The protests mirror those of the 1980s that called for Washington to divest from the South African apartheid government. In the end, they were successful, as both houses of Congress overrode President Ronald Reagan’s veto of the Comprehensive Apartheid Act, which levied economic sanctions against the Republic of South Africa—something the students at Brown University accomplished in late April as they subsequently dismantled their encampment.
The ASAA was decried as a “ridiculous hate speech bill” by staunch conservative Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz:
Antisemitism is wrong, but this legislation is written without regard for the Constitution, common sense, or even the common understanding of the meaning of words. The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of this bill!
Judaism rejects that Jesus is the Messiah and, thus, the divine Son of God. The Sanhedrin—the Jewish bo
Article from LewRockwell
LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.