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Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed a bill Monday that would have defined antisemitism in state education code while simultaneously signing a proclamation condemning all forms of antisemitism.<\/p>\n
The Republican governor cited changes made to the bill in the final days of the legislative session in a news release. Aimed at addressing\u00a0antisemitism on college campuses<\/a>, the bill\u2019s opponents argued that early versions of it would penalize people for criticizing Israel.<\/p>\n Disagreements between lawmakers in the Republican-controlled state House and Senate threatened to kill the bill before reaching a\u00a0compromise in the final hours<\/a>\u00a0of the legislative session on March 8.<\/p>\n This is the second time the state House has tried to pass the legislation; an identical bill died last year after failing to reach a committee hearing in the state Senate.<\/p>\n Around the country, similar legislation rose to prominence this session amid the ongoing\u00a0Israel-Hamas war.<\/a><\/p>\n The proposal would broadly define antisemitism as religious discrimination, claiming it would \u201cprovide educational opportunities free of religious discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n Defined in 2016 by the\u00a0International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance<\/a>, antisemitism is \u201ca 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The original House bill used the organization\u2019s definition, which its author has since warned against using in law. It also included \u201ccontemporary examples of antisemitism\u201d provided by the group, which make explicit references to Israel. These have been adopted by the\u00a0U.S. Department of State<\/a>\u00a0and under former President Donald Trump, through\u00a0executive order<\/a>.<\/p>\n Over\u00a030 states<\/a>\u00a0have adopted the definition in some way either through proclamation, executive order or legislation.<\/p>\n State senators, however, passed an amended version of the bill earlier this month that still included the IHRA\u2019s broad definition of antisemitism but deleted the group\u2019s name and examples that include explicit references to Israel. Opponents including the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network and Jewish Voice for Peace Indiana had argued that such direct references would stifle criticism of Israel in academic settings and activism on campuses in support of Palestinians facing a\u00a0worsening humanitarian crisis<\/a>\u00a0and widespread starvation.<\/p>\n The disagreement between the chambers prompted the bill to go to conference committee, a body consisting of lawmakers from both chambers. The committee reached an agreement on the last day of the legislative session to add the IHRA attribution back to the bill but remove the clause with examples. The final version was approved in both chambers with bipartisan support.<\/p>\n \u201cThe language that emerged in the final days of the legislative session fails to incorporate the entire International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition and its important contemporary examples,\u201d Holcomb said about vetoing the bill. \u201cAdditionally, the confusing language included in the bill could be read to exclude those examples.\u201d<\/p>\n The Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) said the group supported the final version of the bill after it passed, as did the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, which was opposed to the original version over concerns about academic freedom and advocacy.<\/p>\n Holcomb\u2019s support wasn\u2019t clear after its passage. Last week, he expressed concern that Indiana would be an \u201coutlier\u201d among other states thanks to the changes and said he wanted to ensure there is no \u201cambiguity\u201d in Indiana law.<\/p>\n Republican Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita called on Holcomb to veto the bill, saying it is \u201ctoothless\u201d without the mention of the examples.<\/p>\n Holcomb\u2019s\u00a0proclamation condemning antisemitism<\/a>\u00a0cites the IHRA definition and its examples. In a statement, Holcomb said the proclamation \u201censures we join numerous states and countries by supporting the entire IHRA definition with its inextricable examples.\u201d<\/p>\n The JCRC thanked Holcomb in a statement for his \u201cthoughtful\u201d consideration of \u201cthe concerns raised in recent days by national experts and the Attorney General.\u201d<\/p>\n The group said it will work closely with lawmakers and the state to \u201censure that the guidance of Governor Holcomb\u2019s proclamation is correctly applied to identify and confront antisemitism and meet the needs of Jewish students in K-12 and higher educational settings.\u201d<\/p>\n Holcomb has not\u00a0vetoed a bill since 2022<\/a>. Lawmakers can easily overturn a veto in Indiana and only need a simple majority to do so. It\u2019s unclear though if or when lawmakers might reconvene.<\/p>\n The\u00a0push to define antisemitism<\/a>\u00a0in numerous states predates the\u00a0Oct. 7 attacks<\/a>\u00a0in which Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians,\u00a0sparking a war<\/a>\u00a0that has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians. But the war gave supporters of the push another motivation. This year, governors in Arkansas, Georgia and South Dakota signed measures and a proposal is still awaiting gubernatorial review in Florida.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubscribe to the new Fortune CEO Weekly Europe newsletter to get corner office insights on the biggest business stories in Europe. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n