Arkansas Senate passes bill fighting antisemitism in state’s schools

The Arkansas Capitol, as seen during the Chabad of Arkansas Menorah Parade, Dec. 31, 2016. SJL file.

On March 13, the Arkansas state Senate approved legislation prohibiting antisemitic discrimination in the state’s public K-12 schools and colleges.

Sponsored by Republican state senators Matt Stone and Ben Gilmore, SB 352 passed by a 29-4 margin and defines antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred and its 11 examples. The bill was transferred to the House, where it was assigned to the Education Committee.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill adopting the IHRA definition in February 2023. The new legislation would incorporate the definition into student and employee codes of conduct. According to the Antisemitism Research Center, 37 U.S. states have adopted the definition.

The bill will also strengthen the enforcement of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by requiring the Arkansas Department of Education to appoint a Title VI coordinator to oversee, review and investigate all complaints and incidents of discrimination, including antisemitism, in public K-12 and post-secondary schools.

Gabriel Groisman, senior adviser at the Combat Antisemitism Movement, which backed the bill, testified before the state Senate’s education panel, stating that the legislation will effectively combat Jew-hatred.

“There are only two ways to deal with an issue like antisemitism,” he said at the hearing. “We can either sit back and wait for it to happen in our communities, or we can be active and try to squash it at the beginning.”

“It’s clear that Arkansas has not been waiting, and I urge Arkansas not to wait,” he added. “This is something that will send a message all across the country that antisemitism and the scourge we’re seeing all over the country is not welcome here in Arkansas.”

The bill also includes specific exceptions, stating that its provisions should not interfere with the constitutional right to free speech. It also clarifies that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country shall not be regarded as antisemitic,” per the legislation.

In recent weeks, similar initiatives have been proposed in Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas, according to CAM.

Rabbi Barry Block of B’nai Israel in Little Rock, the largest synagogue in the state, said he is “grateful for any effort to combat antisemitism in Arkansas, across America and worldwide,” and every Jewish institution has to devote enormous resources for security.

“At the same time,” he said, “Jewish Arkansans know that we are not safe unless all vulnerable minorities are safe. Our Jewish community includes people of all genders, people of color, LGBTQ Jews, disabled Jews, and more.” He said hate also targets Muslims and law-abiding immigrants who are in this country legally, and “I would have suggested that antisemitism legislation be broadened to address the significant challenges facing members of a wide variety of vulnerable communities in our state.”