Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signs two bills into law adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, requiring public schools to incorporate it into conduct codes and training.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has signed into law two new measures aimed at combating antisemitism in the state’s public institutions and enshrining the internationally recognized definition of Jew-hatred into state law, JNS reported Monday.
The bills, signed on May 6, make Oklahoma the 37th U.S. state to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, according to the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), which supported the legislation.
“Oklahomans value the freedom to live and worship with our families in peace,” Governor Stitt told JNS following the signing.
The first bill, SB 942, mandates that public schools in Oklahoma incorporate the IHRA definition into their codes of conduct. It also requires schools to provide training for faculty, staff, and students on identifying and responding to antisemitism. Furthermore, it instructs the Oklahoma Department of Education to apply the definition in investigations conducted under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The second bill, SB 991, officially adopts the IHRA definition into state law.
“I signed this legislation because Oklahoma is committed to protecting religious freedom and rejecting antisemitism,” said Stitt. “I’m grateful to our Jewish neighbors for their contributions to our state, and we’ll make sure Oklahoma continues to lead with strength and moral clarity when it comes to our religious freedoms.”
The IHRA working definition offers a comprehensive description of antisemitism in its various forms, including hatred and discrimination against Jews, Holocaust denial and, sometimes controversially, the way antisemitism relates to the ways criticism of Israel is expressed.
More than half the states in the US have adopted or endorsed the IHRA definition, as has the District of Columbia, either as legislation or as an educational standard.
The IHRA definition of antisemitism has also been adopted by a host of countries, including Albania, Australia, Canada, Germany, Britain, Austria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, France, Cyprus and Argentina.
