1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I am writing today to ask you to vote NO on HR 6090, the so-called “Antisemitism Awareness Act.” This act defines antisemitism in a way that conflates Judaism with Zionism, which is an antisemitic concept in itself. As a Jewish-American, I believe in the Jewish value of doikayt, which means “hereness,” a belief that Jews should not pursue a national homeland but should be a light to the nations in whatever nation they are in. Dissent—including the right to dissent to the belief that Israel is a nation that should exist— is a hallmark of the Jewish faith and should not be silenced by a majority Christian congress that doesn’t fully understand the Jewish faith. My concern is that this law would be used to stamp out dissent against the current Israeli genocide in Gaza, something many Jews disagree with, rather than actually protecting us Jewish Americans from American antisemitism, which more often takes the form of Christofascism and white supremacy. We are more in danger of antisemitism from people accusing Jews of killing Jesus than we are from people angry about the US’ responsibility for supporting Israel in this genocide. Thank you for your consideration