The House approved a bill Wednesday that seeks to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses, a measure that hit the floor as pro-Palestinian protests roil universities across the country.
The chamber approved the bipartisan legislation — titled the Antisemitism Awareness Act and introduced by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) — in a 320-91 vote, sending it to the Senate for consideration. Twenty-one Republicans and 70 Democrats opposed the measure.
The bill would require the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when enforcing antidiscrimination laws.
The group defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews” and says “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 organization provides a number of examples for what qualifies as antisemitism, including calling …