Two bills signed in New Jersey to fight against antisemitism
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed two bills on Wednesday to counter the rise of antisemitism and hate crimes.
By DEBORAH DAHANEmergency personnel and investigators work at the scene the day after an hours-long gun battle with two men around a kosher market in Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S., December 11, 2019.(photo credit: REUTERS/LLOYD MITCHELL)
On Wednesday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed two bills to provide security funding for nonprofit organizations at risk of terrorist attacks and to expand the definition of domestic terrorism, Jewish News Syndicate reported.The first bill plans to increase by $1 million New Jersey's funding for nonprofits at risk of terrorist attacks, which includes places of worship, as part of the State's Nonprofit Security Grant Pilot Program.One of the sponsors of the bill, State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, said, “no individual, group or organization should be left vulnerable to any threats or acts of violence because of their race, religion or heritage. “Places of worship and any other locations that bring people together will be better protected with this support. We won’t allow bias or hate to intimidate anyone from practicing their religion or honoring their ethnic pride.”The second bill expands the definition of crime of terrorism to include "persons who commit certain crimes with the purpose to influence or incite an act of terrorism against an individual based on the individual’s race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or creed," according to a governor's press release.Those bills were signed following a rise of hate crimes and antisemitism in the State, including the December 2019 shooting in a kosher supermarket in Jersey City. In fact, a recently released report showed that hate crimes increased by 65% in the state in 2019.“Our state and our nation are facing a rising tide of antisemitism and other forms of hatred,” said Murphy.“We recently bore witness to how this can manifest itself in violence with the attack on our Jewish community in Jersey City. We must stand together against terrorism and recommit to the elimination of hate in all its forms in order to protect New Jerseyans and our country. This legislation is crucial to making it clear that hatred will not be tolerated in our state.”Among those praising the bills was Joshua Cohen, director of government relations and external affairs for the Jewish Federations of New Jersey, who declared: “We have witnessed a disturbing increase in the number of incidents of hate and bigotry in New Jersey. No individual, group or organization should be left vulnerable to any threats or acts of violence because of their race, religion, country of origin, sexual or gender identity.“We are grateful to our legislative leaders in the Assembly and Senate for championing initiatives which provide the necessary funding and protections our communities need most. We thank Governor Murphy for signing these bills into law, demonstrating that fighting hate is a shared value of all New Jerseyans.”
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