STATEHOUSE — State Rep. Chris Jeter’s (R-Noblesville) bill to define antisemitism for Indiana’s public education institutions, which he said ensures the concept doesn’t wind up in Hoosier classrooms or campuses, unanimously advanced the Indiana House of Representatives Thursday.
The press release said that Jeter authored the legislation after conversations with several Jewish organizations about the concerns of the anti-Semitic concepts.
The press release shared that according to the Anti-Defamation League, reports of anti-Semitic events have increased by nearly 360% since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023.
“This bill is a reflection of our Hoosier standards and what we value when it comes to teaching our students,” said Jeter in the press release. “Our Jewish students need to feel safe and welcome in our schools, and this builds on Indiana’s long history of supporting Jewish communities both at home and abroad by targeting antisemitism in K-12 classrooms and on college campuses. I look forward to having further discussions and conversation to get this legislation through the Senate this year.”
The press release said that “Jeter’s legislation would define antisemitism as religious discrimination in state law to ensure that K-12 schools and universities do not include the concept in teaching materials or resources.”
With this legislation, antisemitism would be specifically defined as “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.”
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education has already adopted this definition according to Jeter.
In 2023, the same legislation passed unanimously by the House, but didn’t receive a hearing from the Senate. This year, House Bill 1002 will go to the Senate for further consideration.
Jeter represents portions of Hancock County.
For more information, or to watch session and committees live, visit iga.in.gov.
