Michigan anti-discrimination law would explicitly ban antisemitism under new proposal
A Democratic lawmaker in the Michigan House of Representatives introduced legislation June 4 to amend the state's civil rights law to include an updated definition of antisemitism, saying recent attacks on Jewish communities in the U.S. have created a crisis.
Rep. Noah Arbit, D-West Bloomfield, said during a June 3 news conference the Michigan Antisemitism Protection Act would create a 'gold standard definition of antisemitism' within the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, the state law that bans discrimination in housing, employment, education and public accommodations on the basis of certain protected classes, including, religion, age, race, sex and sexual orientation.
'If adopted, these standards would assist relevant state institutions, agencies and authorities identify and elevate potential instances of illegal discrimination against Jews in Michigan,' Arbit said. He added the bill, HB 4548, would not affect constitutionally protected free speech, but would add protections for ethnicity in arenas already covered by the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
Specifically, the bill would add ethnicity as a protected class and adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism. The IHRA states: 'Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.'
Arbit, who is Jewish, said a June 1 attack at a Colorado event drawing attention to Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the fatal shootings of two Israeli embassy workers in May outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington are the latest instances of targeted violence against Jews in the U.S. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the alleged perpetrator of the Boulder, Colorado, attack, was charged with a federal hate crime after telling investigators he wanted to kill all Zionist people, according to an FBI affidavit.
The attacks, however, aren't isolated instances of targeted violence, Arbit said.
'Over the last decade and a half, American Jews have watched our vibrant synagogues congeal into fortresses. The anxiety that our sanctuaries or Sunday schools could be the next target for a gunman or terrorist pervades Jewish communities across Michigan,' he said.
Arbit was joined by Michigan's two other Jewish lawmakers, Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, and Rep. Samantha Steckloff, D-Farmington Hills. Steckloff said all three lawmakers have received calls from the FBI about credible threats against them, adding she had a police detail on her home.
Steckloff said it's important to push back against antisemitic tropes, including the idea that Jews control societal institutions. She also said American Jews should not be blamed for what the government of Israel has done, referencing the ongoing war in Gaza.
'We cannot continue to hate American Jews because of what is going on overseas,' Steckloff said. HB 4548 would bar discrimination on the basis of accusing Jews of being more loyal to Israel or the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide than in the U.S.
While the IHRA states that manifestations of antisemitism may include targeting the state of Israel, the group also states that criticism of Israel similar to criticism of another country cannot be considered antisemitism. The bill states discrimination "does not include criticism of the State of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country, nation, state, or government."
Holding Jewish people collectively accountable for Israel's actions, however, is considered antisemitism under the bill and under the IHRA's working definition. The definition was adopted in 2016.
Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: New Michigan bill would adopt definition of antisemitism in state law
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