In a stunning turn of events, a New Jersey Assembly Committee abruptly tabled a vote on A3558 a long-awaited antisemitism bill—just minutes before a scheduled hearing on Monday. In response, Jewish community advocates from across the state walked out of the hearing in unified protest.
A3558, introduced more than three years ago, seeks to codify a state definition of antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition. This widely recognized standard has been endorsed by 46 countries, 37 U.S. states, and more than 1,200 organizations, municipalities, and universities worldwide.
A New Jersey Senate Committee passed a substantially similar bill – S1292 – after numerous hours of testimony in June 2024.
Opponents have inaccurately claimed that the bill would censor speech. In fact, the legislation clearly targets antisemitic conduct, not protected expression. It includes explicit First Amendment safeguards and abides by longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent, which allows speech to be considered as evidence of motive in cases of criminal or discriminatory behavior.
The bill’s sponsors, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) and Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (D-Livingston), were informed of the decision to table the vote only moments before the 10:00 a.m. hearing began. Immediately prior to the community’s walkout, Jason Shames, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, expressed the collective dismay at this turn of events and how it was handled, which in itself, reflects the climate of anti-Jewish bias and pressure affecting decisions at the highest levels of state government.
“To postpone an issue so critical to the safety and security of New Jerseyans is to turn a blind eye to and exacerbate the ongoing surge of antisemitism across our state, our nation, and the world,” said Shames on behalf of the CEOs of New Jersey Jewish Federations: Susan Antman, CEO, Jewish Federation in the Heart of NJ; Jennifer Dubrow Weiss, CEO, Jewish Federation of Southern NJ; Robin Freedman-Kramer, CEO, Jewish Federation of West-Central NJ; and Steve Levy, Interim CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest.
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the United States recorded nearly 9,000 antisemitic incidents in 2023—a 140% increase over the previous year, and the highest total since tracking began in 1979. New Jersey consistently ranks among the top states for such incidents. Bergen County alone reported 162 antisemitic incidents in 2024—more than any other county in the state—representing a 269% increase over 2022 and nearly one-quarter of the state total.
“Antisemitism is a critical problem and growing in New Jersey. It isn’t going to solve itself. Unless NJ legislators decide to take the first step to addressing antisemitism—defining it—they are not part of the solution. Like all groups, Jews must be the ones who define their own experiences with oppression. Rather, through inaction and delay, the legislators will be part of the problem, abandoning the safety of large segments of New Jersey residents,” said Avi Posnick, StandWithUs Northeast Director.
In response to these disturbing trends, A3558 aims to provide a critical tool for law enforcement and state agencies to identify and address antisemitic hate crimes and discrimination.
Rabbi David C. Levy, Director AJC New Jersey, added, “The brutal murders of two young Jewish leaders after an AJC event in Washington, D.C., followed by the setting on fire of peaceful Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, CO, has amplified the need for this bill. As we have seen, in their most extreme forms, antisemitic words of hate can be deadly, and as New Jerseyans we have a singular responsibility to call out such hateful speech by clearly defining it. All of which makes this continuing delay in moving this bill forward utterly unacceptable.”
