Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman GARY S. SCHAER
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Defines anti-Semitism for certain civil or criminal purposes.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning anti-Semitism in the State of New Jersey and supplementing Title 10 of the Revised Statues
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. For the purposes of this act:
“Anti-Semitism” means a certain perception of Jewish persons, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jewish persons, including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) hatred or severe disparagement toward Jewish persons and their culture;
(2) rhetorical, violent, or physical anti-Jewish manifestations directed against Jewish or non-Jewish individuals or their property or Jewish community institutions and religious facilities;
(3) the calling for, aiding, encouraging, supporting, or justifying the killing, harming, or defaming of anyone simply for practicing Judaism or exhibiting a Jewish heritage;
(4) making false and mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, demeaning, or stereotypical allegations about Jewish persons as such or the power of Jewish persons as a collective, including allegations such as the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jewish persons controlling the media, economy, government, or other societal institutions;
(5) accusing those practicing Judaism, or exhibiting a Jewish heritage, whether singularly or collectively, as being wholly responsible for any real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group;
(6) accusing those practicing Judaism, or exhibiting a Jewish heritage, whether singularly or collectively, as being wholly responsible for any real or imagined wrongdoing committed by the State of Israel; and
(7) accusing those practicing Judaism, or exhibiting a Jewish heritage, whether singularly or collectively, as being more loyal to Israel, or the alleged priorities of Jewish persons worldwide, than to the interests of the people of the State of New Jersey, or to the interests of the people of the United States.
The term “anti-Semitism” shall not include criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country.
b. In reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of any policy, law, or regulation prohibiting discriminatory acts under the civil or criminal laws of this State, a public official of the State or law enforcement officer shall take into consideration the definition of anti-Semitism set forth in subsection a. of this section for the purposes of determining whether the alleged act was motivated by discriminatory anti-Semitic intent.
c. Nothing contained in this act, P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), shall be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, or paragraph 6 of Article I of the New Jersey State Constitution. Nothing in this act shall be construed to conflict with local, State, or federal anti-discrimination laws or regulations.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill defines anti-Semitism in the New Jersey Statues. The bill provides a State definition of anti-Semitism that is widely accepted and consensus-based. It is used by various agencies of the federal government and the 33 governments that are members of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance; recommended for use by the European Council and the European Parliament; endorsed by the United Nations Secretary General and the Secretary General of the Organization of American States; included in policy guides prepared by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; and formally adopted by a growing number of European nations.
The definition of anti-Semitism in the bill does not include criticism of the government of Israel.
In reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of any policy, law, or regulation prohibiting discriminatory acts under the civil or criminal laws of this State, a public official of the State or law enforcement officer is required to take into consideration the definition of anti-Semitism set forth in this bill for the purposes of determining whether the alleged act was motivated by discriminatory anti-Semitic intent.
Nothing contained in this bill is to be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, or paragraph 6 of Article I of the New Jersey State Constitution, and nothing in this bill is to be construed to conflict with local, State, or federal anti-discrimination laws or regulations.