‘Jewish safety is not negotiable’: Nearly 100 New Jersey rabbis demand state take action on antisemitism

Dozens of rabbis from New Jersey demand that Governor Phil Murphy and the US state assembly adopt and implement the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism to combat discrimination against Jews.

The New Jersey state government reportedly nixed a bill to adopt the IHRA definition earlier this month.

Anti-Israel activists oppose the definition because the framework equates some forms of anti-Israel rhetoric with antisemitism, while allowing for measured criticism of the Jewish state.

New Jersey has more antisemitic incidents per capita than any other state, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The rabbis’ open letter, released by The Jewish Majority advocacy group, is addressed to Murphy and the state assembly. Ninety-three rabbis have signed on.

“The Jewish community is facing surging antisemitism that we never thought possible in America,” the letter says, relating a string of attacks on Jews in the state.

“Prioritizing politics over antisemitism signals that Jewish safety is negotiable and subjects our community to further cases of harassment and violence,” the letter says. “We call on our political leaders in New Jersey to immediately revisit and pass legislation that adopts the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and applies that definition to training, education, and hate-crime response systems.”