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Two bills supported by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) were presented to the Oklahoma Legislature at Senate committee hearings held on Tuesday.
In the morning, SB 942 — initiated by State Senator Kristen Thompson — was advanced by the Senate Education Committee by a 7-3 vote.
The legislation defines antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, including its 11 contemporary examples, and mandates the integration of the definition into student, faculty, and employee codes of conduct.
Furthermore, the bill gives teeth to Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act by directing the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to designate a Title VI coordinator to monitor, review, and investigate antisemitic discrimination in public K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions.
“While antisemitism is thankfully not as pervasive here like in other states, passage of SB 942 will demonstrate that legislators in Oklahoma are taking a proactive measure,” said CAM Founder Adam Beren, who testified at Tuesday’s hearing. “The bill also sends a message in Oklahoma and to the rest of the country of your commitment to combating hatred in all forms while ensuring the safety and dignity of the Jewish community.”
CAM CEO Sacha Rotyman is visiting the United States from Israel this week, and joined Beren at the hearing in Oklahoma City.
“I want to thank you for your support, both the support the state of Oklahoma gives to Israel and also for protecting the Jewish community you have in your state,” Roytman told the lawmakers.
Later in the day, SB 991, introduced by Senator Thompson, was heard in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This legislation would adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism into Oklahoma state law, building on a January 2022 executive proclamation issued by Goveror Kevin Stitt endorsing the definition.
A total of 37 U.S. states have adopted the definition, according to a database compiled by the Antisemitism Research Center by CAM.
The bill was advanced by the Judiciary Committee with a 7-0 margin.
CAM is leading an organized effort to engage and educate state legislators across the United States on antisemitism-related issues and potential policy remedies, such as the bills now under consideration in Oklahoma.
Similar legislative initiatives have also been put forth in Nebraska and Kansas in recent weeks.
