Congress: 114 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: pro-Israel
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for HR 6208.
Sponsor: Lowey, Nita M. (D-NY)
Combating European Anti-Semitism Act of 2016 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) it is in the U.S. national interest to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad; (2) there is a need to ensure the security of European Jewish communities, including synagogues, schools, and cemeteries; and (3) the United States should continue to emphasize the importance of combating anti-Semitism in multilateral bodies. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 is amended to require the Department of State's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom to include, for each European country in which threats or attacks against Jewish persons, schools, and religious institutions are particularly significant, a description of: the security challenges and needs of European Jewish communities and European law enforcement agencies; U.S. efforts to partner with European law enforcement agencies and civil society groups to combat anti-Semitic incidents; educational programming and public awareness initiatives that impart values of pluralism and tolerance, showcase the positive contributions of Jews, and pay special attention to population segments that exhibit a high degree of anti-Semitic animus; and efforts by European governments to adopt and apply a working definition of anti-Semitism.
This bill directs the State Department to include in its annual religious freedom report detailed information about antisemitism threats in European countries, including security needs of Jewish communities, U.S. law enforcement partnerships to combat antisemitic incidents, educational initiatives promoting tolerance, and European government efforts to adopt a working definition of antisemitism.
The bill encourages European adoption of a working definition of antisemitism—likely referring to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition, whose 'contemporary examples' classify certain forms of Israel criticism (such as calling Israel 'a racist endeavor' or comparing it to Nazi Germany) as antisemitic. This approach functions as speech regulation that can chill criticism of Israeli policies under the label of combating hate.