Florida Senate passes anti-Semitism bill

Measure mandates Jew hatred be treated the same as other acts of racial discrimination in public education system; senators hold moment of silence for Poway shooting victims

By Marcy Oster 1 May 2019, 8:08 am Edit

The Florida Capitol building. (Michael Rivera/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA)

JTA — The Florida Senate unanimously passed an anti-Semitism bill.

Prior to the discussion and vote Monday, the senators held a moment of silence for the victims of the Poway shooting.

Using the State Department definition as its template, the legislation defines as anti-Semitism calls for violence against Jews, advancing conspiracy theories about Jewish control and Holocaust denial.

The measure also mandates that discrimination against Jewish people be treated the same as acts of racial discrimination in Florida’s public education institutions.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis waves to the gallery as he makes his state of the state speech on the first day of legislative session, March 5, 2019, in Tallahassee, Florida. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

The bill moves on to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature. It passed unanimously three weeks ago in the state House of Representatives.

DeSantis will travel to Israel next month for a weeklong visit, his first official international trip, that will include a Florida Cabinet meeting at the US Embassy in Jerusalem.