Bill defining antisemitism in Florida Statutes heads to Senate floor

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 1/4/23-Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, during the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee, Wednesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

A bill defining antisemitism in Florida Statutes is heading to a Senate floor vote after clearing its final committee hurdle with unanimous support.

Members of the Senate Rules Committee voted to advance the measure (SB 148), which would largely adopt the definition the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance set in 2016.

The definition reads as “a certain perception of Jewish individuals which may be expressed as hatred toward such individuals. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and their property and toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The bill includes 11 examples of antisemitism, from justifying or aiding in the killing or harming of Jewish individuals and making “mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jewish individuals” to denying the Holocaust happened and accusing Jewish people for “real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group or for acts committed by non-Jewish individuals.”

SB 148 also includes a few examples on Israel, including “applying double standards by requiring of the Jewish state of Israel … behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation” and “holding Jewish individuals collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.”

Boynton Beach Democratic Sen. Lori Berman, the bill’s sponsor, said that the Anti-Defamation League reported a nearly 400% increase in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. after Hamas terrorists from Gaza massacred 1,200 Israeli citizens.

“In addition, religion is consistently the second-highest base motivator of hate crimes within the state of Florida,” she said before Wednesday’s vote. “The need of this bill is to assist in the monitoring and reporting of antisemitic hate crimes and discrimination, such as in employment and housing.”

Berman noted an amendment she made to her measure after speaking with “interested parties” last month to say that criticizing Israel is not antisemitic on its own, provided that the criticism does not require of Israel “a standard of behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”

The amendment also removed “claims of Jews killing Jesus” as an example of antisemitism while characterizing Israel or Israelis and added a sentence clarifying that the definition may not be used to diminish or infringe upon First Amendment rights or conflict with other state or federal anti-discrimination laws.

The next step for Berman is to match the bill’s language with its House companion (HB 187) by Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Palm Bay and Democratic Rep. Mike Gottlieb of Davie, which passed in the Legislature’s lower chamber on a 113-3 vote Jan. 18.

The three “no” votes came from Democratic Reps. Dotie Joseph of North Miami, Anna Eskamani of Orlando and Angie Nixon of Jacksonville, the latter two of whom cast the sole “yes” votes Nov. 7 for a resolution Nixon filed supporting a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.