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Anti-Semitism bill presented by Senator Kennedy on Georgia Senate floor passes, moving to House

House Bill 30 was voted on by the Georgia senate on Thursday.

MACON, Ga. — Update, 1:19 p.m. Jan. 25th:

House Bill 30 was passed by substitute on the Senate floor on Thursday, with 44 Yea's and 6 Nay's.

After the session, Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones issued a statement supporting the passage of the bill:

"Today and every day, I stand with Georgia’s Jewish community,” said Jones. “I condemn the wave of anti-Semitic acts and speech we have seen in our country and throughout Georgia communities. These horrific acts are unacceptable and this hatred and hostile way of thinking will not be tolerated. I am proud of the Senate for prioritizing House Bill 30 and encourage the House to take the necessary steps for this bill to be sent to Governor Kemp quickly.”

Dov Wilker, the Atlanta regional director for the American Jewish Committee, also issued a statement commending the bill's passing.

"The IHRA definition offers common-sense guidance to help people understand what is antisemitism, so they are better equipped to recognize it when it happens and help fight it. At a time when anti-Jewish hate has reached record levels in this nation, today’s Senate vote is an important step toward affording new ways to learn about the world’s oldest hatred."

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Georgia's Anti-semitism bill will be voted on Thursday on the Senate floor.

Senator John F. Kennedy of Macon will present the bill for consideration, and the session will begin at 10 a.m. 

You can watch by clicking the link here.  

The voting session comes just days after Kennedy brought the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Macon's own Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar from Temple Beth Israel also testified before the committee on Monday to support the bill.

Related: 'Anti-semitism is growing' | Macon rabbi testifies in support of a new bill at Georgia State Capitol

The bill hit home with many Macon residents, as community members have rallied behind Temple Beth Israel this year following the arrival of an anti-semitic group that gathered at its doors in August 2023.

The group hung hateful flyers outside Macon's Temple Beth Israel. Earlier in the summer, an anti-semitic group demonstrated outside the temple, shouting what Bibb County deputies called 'obscene language' through a bullhorn. 

The group had a blow-up doll representing a gay Jewish man hanging by the neck from a street sign outside the temple.

In the aftermath of those incidents, it raised heightened awareness of antisemitism. 

Rabbi Bahar said she went on Monday in support of not only her congregation but of Jewish people statewide.

"Since my congregation this summer were victims of anti-Semitic activity, and that activity has been going, ongoing since then in several other incidents, which I stated in my testimony, I thought it imperative that we fully endorse and support the efforts of the broader Jewish community to aid law officials in carrying out their duties," Bahar said.

The bill originally did not pass out of the Senate during the 2023 Legislative Session due to time constraints and procedural hurdles, but if it passes this time around it gives anti-semitism a legal definition that would help law enforcement determine whether a certain act is motivated by anti-semitism, according to the law's text.

"I hope it passes," Bahar said. "I hope it leads toward broader education to elected officials and law enforcement officials about what is anti-semitism, what does it look like and how can it best be addressed."

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