A bill requiring South Carolina colleges and universities to follow federal guidelines when investigating on-campus acts of anti-Semitism received initial approval in a hearing of the state House of Representatives Wednesday.
With gubernatorial approval, HB 3643 would require public colleges around the state to adhere to the 2010 U.S. Department of State definition of anti-Semitism when investigating whether or not on-campus civil rights violations were anti-Semitic in nature. The bill's passage would be particularly significant in South Carolina, one of only five states without hate crime laws. When speaking to The State on Wednesday, Rep. Alan Clemmons (R-Horry), a sponsor of the bill, deemed anti-Semitic sentiment in the United States "alive and thriving."
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that 68 threats have been made against 53 centers in the U.S. and Canada in the past six weeks.
The wave reached downtown Columbia last month when the Katie and Irwin Kahn Jewish Community Center received a bomb threat. According to WIS, a responding bomb squad found no evidence of an explosive device in the area.
Not all reception for the bill has been positive. Via Twitter Wednesday morning, the USC chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine stated that HB 3643 "would incorrectly equate critique of Israel to anti Semitism." A number of chapter members attended Wednesday's hearing.
In a thread tweeted by the organization's Twitter account throughout the hearing, SJP claimed that an attending state representative did not afford bill opponents sufficient time to speak. When representatives later stated that HB 3643 is "not about Israel," the group labelled their claims false.
Published in 2010, the State Department document referenced in the text of the House proposal runs only two pages. The second page — titled "What is Anti-Semitism Relative to Israel?" — lists a variety of "ways in which anti-Semitism manifests itself in regard to the state of Israel."
In a final tweet Wednesday afternoon, SJP stated that it will continue to voice opposition to the bill as it progresses to the House Judiciary Committee.
There have not been any recent anti-Semitic acts or statements on USC grounds, university spokesman Wes Hickman told The State Wednesday.
This article has been updated to clarify the position Students for Justice in Palestine at USC has taken against HB 3643.