Antisemitism bill passes Ga. House and Senate, heads to Governor for signature

The Georgia Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill on Thursday that adds antisemitism language to the state’s hate crimes law. Despite some opposition expressing concerns about potential limitations on criticism of Israel, the bill received substantial support. 

The bill is now set to head to Governor Brian Kemp, who has indicated his intention to sign it into law. Notably, a similar bill had stalled in the Senate in 2023 after passing the House.

Backers of the legislation argued that the rise in incidents targeting Georgia’s Jewish communities justifies expanding the state’s hate crimes legislation to explicitly include antisemitism.

State Representative Esther Panitch, the sole Jewish member of the legislature, celebrated the passage, emphasizing the importance of the bill in acknowledging and protecting the state’s Jewish community.

Senate Democratic leader Gloria Butler, highlighting the historical solidarity between communities, expressed her support for the bill saying, “I have been discriminated against my whole life, both as a Black person and as a woman. And at every moment, Black people or women asked for equality, the Jewish community stood hand in hand with us.” Butler told fellow Senators that the Jewish community deserved her yes vote. 

Dov Wilker of the American Jewish Committee noted the heightened anxiety within the Jewish community due to the increase in antisemitism in the United States and worldwide.

Critics of the bill raised concerns that it could stifle legitimate speech critical of the state of Israel. They objected to the bill’s reliance on a definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which includes instances where speech against Israel is considered attacks against Jewish people.

The Senate passed the measure with a vote of 44-6, followed by a 129-5 vote in the House. Lawmakers prioritized the antisemitism bill in response to the Israel-Hamas war that began on Oct. 7, citing the need for enhanced protections for Jewish people from crimes motivated by bigotry.

Even before the Israel-Hamas conflict, there were reports of hate groups distributing antisemitic materials in Atlanta-area neighborhoods. Jewish residents shared incidents of increased antisemitic activities, including an appalling incident where a group hung a Jew in effigy outside a Macon synagogue last summer.

“Antisemitism was already at a record high before Oct. 7, and it just skyrocketed afterward,” said Panitch. “It’s a recognition and a relief that we’ve been heard by the entire state.”