HB 937: Missouri bill seeks to enshrine IHRA antisemitism definition in state's schools
“We have to make sure that our Jewish students can feel safe and comfortable going to school," said State Representative George Hruza.
House Bill 937, which adds new sections to Missouri law to strengthen anti-discrimination protections in education, including adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism in the state's public schools and universities, was presented to the Missouri House Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee in Jefferson City last Wednesday.
“We have to make sure that our Jewish students can feel safe and comfortable going to school, and they can have their education and not worry about what might happen when they go to class,” the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) quoted State Representative George Hruza (R), who introduced the bill with House Speaker Jonathan Patterson (R), as saying. Hruza is the son of a Holocaust survivor.
The bill also aims to strengthen broader protections to guard against discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status in Missouri’s educational system.
If passed, HB 937 would also require the Missouri State Board of Education and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to appoint a Title VI coordinator to oversee and investigate antisemitic discrimination in the state’s schools.
It also encourages the state’s public schools and universities to “Incorporate antisemitism awareness training for all employees” and “Integrate a Jewish American heritage curriculum for students that incorporates Jewish experiences in America pre- and post-revolution, pre- and post World War II and the Holocaust, and in modern times.”
Bill doesn't view criticism of Israel as antisemitic
The bill notes that it does not view criticism of Israel, when similar to criticism of other countries, as antisemitic. It also states that its proposed amendments neither limit rights protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution nor conflict with federal or state discrimination laws.CAM, an international network of 850 groups dedicated to combating antisemitism, expressed its support for the bill. CAM founder Adam Beren spoke at the committee hearing where it was presented.
“While nowhere near the problems we have read about in New York, California, Massachusetts, or Washington, DC, Missouri has unfortunately not been immune to antisemitism,” CAM quoted Beren as saying during his testimony. “Passage of HB 937 will demonstrate that legislators in Missouri are taking a proactive measure.”
Nikolay Remizov, a Saint Louis University student, also spoke at the hearing and shared with the committee his personal experiences with campus antisemitism.
“After October 7th, I decided to run for Student Government President,” CAM quoted Remizov as saying. “Almost immediately, my campaign materials were defaced with antisemitic imagery, horns and tails drawn on my posters, while I received hateful comments, threats to my life, and relentless pressure simply for being who I am. This has become a daily reality for me.”
St. Louis’s Rabbi Ze’ev Smason, who represented the Coalition for Jewish Values, along with other members of the Missouri Jewish community, also spoke at the hearing, CAM noted.
