Testifiers filled most of the House Chamber on Wednesday to share their opinions on House Bill 1002. The highly contentious bill draws upon the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition to define “antisemitism.”
In addition to defining “antisemitism,” HB 1002, authored by Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, also “specifies that the public policy of the state is to provide educational opportunities free of religious discrimination, and provides that antisemitism is discrimination on the basis of religion,” according to the bill’s digest.
Jeter shared that the bill is a replica of House Bill 1037, which passed the Indiana House of Representatives in 2023 by a vote of 94 to 0, but died before hitting the Senate floor. After the bill was introduced to the committee, members of the public took turns sharing their thoughts, with each person having three minutes to talk.
Supporters of the bill argued it was needed to protect Hoosier Jews, while opponents worried the bill would incite discrimination against other groups. Many who testified cited the events of October 7, 2023, when militant group Hamas led surprise attacks on Israel.
Purdue University student Honor Fuchs testified in support of the bill, detailing first-person accounts of what she has faced on campus.
“As proud as I am to be a Boilermaker, throughout my many years at Purdue, I have faced antisemitism,” Fuchs said.
“While fundraising on campus with a Jewish student group, we were mobbed, yelled at and insulted by fellow students,” Fuchs told the legislators. “This occurred several times a week for the entire past semester, but I couldn’t complain because me being called a Nazi pales in comparison to the real persecution my grandparents faced in Nazi-occupied Romania.”
Rabbi Sue Silberburg, the executive director of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center at Indiana University, came in support of the bill, testifying that her main concern is the state’s lack of a “strong and clear definition of ‘antisemitism.’”
Emma Law-Oppman, a member of Mothers Against College Antisemitism, also testified in support before the committee.
“It has become abundantly clear that defining ‘antisemitism’ is critical to fighting antisemitism,” Law-Oppman said. “Every day, I work with parents and students who have experienced antisemitism in their academic journeys and I’m constantly amazed at how unwilling administrators and educators are to call these incidents what they are: antisemitism.”
However, Lindsay Littrell, an adjunct faculty member at the Indiana University School of Social Work, testified in opposition of the bill, saying it shuts down discourse for Hoosiers.
“In order to have a state where all people are safe and well, we must have these conversations. We must be able to name harm, no matter where it comes from,” Littrell said. “House Bill 1002 does not do that for us.”
Aidan Khamis, a student at Indiana University, also opposed the bill, saying that he believed the bill denied free speech and the ability to criticize Israel.
“Are we not allowed to criticize Russia, particularly for invading Ukraine?” Khamis questioned. “We have to criticize countries based on the particular behavior that they engage in.”
President of the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, Syed Ali Saeed, testified in opposition as well. Saeed said that while he feels a need to protect his Jewish brothers and sisters, he is concerned with the bill’s potential to suppress political speech.
After testimony was completed, the committee passed the bill on a 12-0 vote.
