The state Assembly’s Committee on Higher Education has approved a measure that would urge each University of California campus to pass its own resolution condemning anti-Semitism and racism.
The nonbinding measure was approved by the 13-member committee on June 23. Introduced by state Sen. Jeff Stone (Riverside County), the bill now moves to the full Assembly; if it passes, it will go back to the state Senate for final approval.
One facet of SCR-35 is that it invokes the State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism.
While critics say the definition could discourage campus debate and criticism of Israel’s behavior in the Middle East, proponents are not only applauding the use of the definition, but also encouraging the U.C. Board of Regents to adopt it as a standard for identifying anti-Semitism on all U.C. campuses.
The Board of Regents is scheduled to meet July 22-23 in San Francisco, and U.C. President Janet Napolitano has said she plans to bring up the definition issue for discussion, although the agenda had not been released as of press time.
In a radio interview last month, Napolitano said she personally supports the definition but that the regents must vote to adopt it before it can become U.C. policy.
The State Department defines anti-Semitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews,” and notes that denying Israel’s right to exist is an example of how anti-Semitism can be manifested.
SCR-35 and the regents’ discussion of the State Department definition are separate issues.