Legislation targeting antisemitism advances

The House backed a measure that would define antisemitism so it could be covered under Georgia’s hate crimes law, meaning people could see stiffer penalties if they committed crimes against Jewish people based on their religious orientation or ethnicity. State Rep. Esther Panitch, the only Jewish legislator in the General Assembly, said the need for House Bill 30 became clear after antisemitic flyers were placed last month in the driveways of predominantly Jewish neighborhoods in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody.

While the legislation wouldn’t make antisemitic flyers illegal, actions that target Jewish people could be used in court as evidence of a motive when prosecuting crimes.

The bill ran into some resistance from several Democrats who said they opposed the measure because religious protections are already covered by the state’s hate crimes law.

“It begs the question as to why the Georgia code doesn’t define anti-Black racism or anti-Latino racism or anti-Asian racism,” said state Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat from Lilburn. “A bill such as this may unintentionally have the effect of having each marginalized group wondering where is their definition in the code.”

But Panitch said that while the state’s hate crimes law includes racial and religious discrimination, it doesn’t necessarily cover the usage of symbols such as swastikas against Jews.

Georgia’s hate crimes law, which was enacted in 2020, allows harsher criminal penalties against those who target their victims on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, sex, national origin, religion, or physical or mental disability. HB 30 would add antisemitism as evidence of discriminatory intent under the hate crimes law.

The bill is headed to the Georgia Senate.