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House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	December 8, 2023 11:24 AM
From:	Representative Kristin Marcell and Rep. Robert W. Mercuri, Rep. Joe Hogan
To:	All House members
Subject:	Combatting Antisemitism in Pennsylvania's Educational System

In the near future, we will be introducing a package of bills to combat antisemitism in Pennsylvania’s educational system. On October 7, 2023, the world witnessed an unprovoked terrorist attack in which over 1,400 Israelis were killed, 3,400 Israelis were wounded, and approximately 200 Israelis were taken as hostages by Hamas terrorists. On October 18, 2023, President Joe Biden delivered remarks condemning these brutal acts against Israeli infants, children, adults, and the elderly. In the words of President Biden: October 7th, which was … a sacred Jewish holiday, became the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. It has brought to the surface painful memories and scars left by a millennia of antisemitism and the genocide of the Jewish people. The world watched then, it knew, and the world did nothing. We will not stand by and do nothing again. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Since then, the ugliness and pervasiveness of antisemitism in our society has become only more evident. With recent Congressional testimony from one of our Commonwealth’s most prestigious institutions of higher education refusing to recognize antisemitism and call for the genocide of the Jewish people on college campuses as bullying and harassment against Jewish students, it has become even more paramount that we must take steps to eliminate antisemitism in our education system: from the classroom to the university campus. Pennsylvanians of conscience must speak out against these unspeakable acts and take action to ensure that these atrocities never happen again. Please join us in sponsoring this historic package of legislation aimed at combatting antisemitism in Pennsylvania’s educational system. Please consider joining us in these important initiatives to combat antisemitism.

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Document #1

Description:

DOCUMENT 1: Recognizing antisemitism as bullying/harassment on college campuses. (Mercuri) Institutions of higher education should be a safe, inclusive place for students who have chosen to continue their education. According to a survey published in November 2023 by the Center for Antisemitism Research, 70% of students – both Jewish and non-Jewish – feel their university should do more to address antisemitism on campus. This legislation would ensure that any institution of higher education in Pennsylvania which receives a direct appropriation from the state to acknowledge antisemitism as harassment and/or bullying.

Document #2

Description:

DOCUMENT 2: Providing holocaust instruction transparency in our public schools. (Marcell & Hogan) Several news outlets have reported about the misinformation regarding the Israel-Hamas War which is spreading online. The Economist recently released staggering poll results that show 1 in 5 young Americans think the Holocaust is a myth. Now, more than ever, we need to make sure that access to facts, as unfathomable as they may seem, are available. Currently, public school entities can choose to offer instruction in Holocaust, genocide, and human rights violations to students. If offered by the school entity, the instruction must be integrated within the social studies and language arts courses of study and may be integrated into other appropriate courses of study as well. The Department of Education must establish curriculum guidelines, but a school entity choosing to offer Holocaust and genocide instruction may use any curriculum that is consistent with the law’s requirements. Each school entity offering the instruction must provide in-service training concerning the Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations for those educators who will teach in these areas. However, across Pennsylvania there is currently no standardized, simple, and user-friendly way for parents to review the curriculum that will be taught to their students. This legislation will require any school entity offering this instruction to make the curriculum available on its website. Similarly, the Department of Education will be required to post on its website the curriculum guidelines provided to school entities under this bill. It is imperative that our public schools continue to foster an understanding about the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights violations considering recent events. This legislation will ensure that parents and families have access to the information being used to educate our students on the Holocaust during a time where misinformation surrounding this issue is running rampant.

Document #3

Description:

DOCUMENT 3: A resolution declaring antisemitism awareness and education day in Pennsylvania. (Hogan) The United States Department of State has used a working definition, and examples of anti-Israel acts, of antisemitism since 2010. A few years later in 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (“IHRA”) adopted a working definition of antisemitism. As a member of the IHRA, the United States now uses this working definition. Despite these noble efforts, there are many who are unfamiliar with the working definition, as well as how these examples of antisemitism, which are sadly a reality for many Jewish residents in our Commonwealth. To raise awareness of the pervasiveness of antisemitism in our society and to highlight the importance of learning about antisemitism, we are sponsoring a resolution declaring November 9, 2024, as Antisemitism Awareness and Education Day in Pennsylvania.