A Missouri House of Representatives committee heard testimony on Wednesday, Feb 26, on proposed legislation guarding against discrimination and antisemitism in public schools. The Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee held the hearing on HB 937.
The bill was introduced by Rep. George Hruza, R-St. Louis County. It mandates that public schools and public post-secondary schools treat harassment or discrimination motivated by antisemitic intent in the same manner as discrimination based on race.
A total of 89 witnesses offered in-person or written testimony, with 30 in support of the law and 69 opposed. Eight people spoke at the hearing and the rest submitted written remarks.
One of the supporters who delivered an in-person testimony in support of the legislation was Jonathan Geluda Lewin, a Jewish student at Washington University. Lewin’s testimony noted that the university has worked diligently to respond to antisemitic incidents on campus. However, that hasn’t insulated him from attacks.
“I was doxed [had private identifying information published] and called a genocider last semester due to my affiliation with a Jewish group during the latest student government elections,” Lewin said in his testimony. “I support this law because it will ensure that other educational institutions follow best practices when dealing with antisemitism and identify where it may be purposely obscured.”
Asher Lubin, another Jewish WashU student, offered testimony that an April 27, 2024, on-campus encampment protest caused distress for students like him and disrupted his studies.
“For hours, I was unable to focus on my homework, my friends and normal high school senior activities—and my family felt the same way,” Lubin said in his testimony. “We watched as the beautiful campus that I was about to call home was stormed, with blatant antisemitic chants ringing in the background.”
Others speaking at the hearing in support of the bill included Sam Zitin of Jewish Student Union of St. Louis, Rachel Bray of the Jewish Community Relations Council, Rabbi Ze’ev Smason of Coalition for Jewish Values Missouri, Adam Beren of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, Destiny Albritton of Christians United for Israel, a student from St. Louis University and a student from Parkway Central High School.
Other supporters of HB 937 who submitted testimony included Greg Yawitz, board chair of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum; Nancy Lisker, regional director of the American Jewish Committee; Jen Bernstein, advocacy manager of National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis; Stacey Newman, former member of the Missouri House of Representatives and Jordan Kadosh, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League. In Kadosh’s testimony, according to ADL’s audit of antisemitic incidents, from 2022 to 2023, Missouri had a 143% increase in antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools.
The testimony in opposition to HB 937 suggested that the law would curtail free speech, silence criticism of Israel on college campuses, and penalize pro-Palestinian activism.
Prior to the Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee hearing, the bill’s sponsor, George Hruza, told the Jewish Light that he was unaware of any companion legislation, and “I’m hoping that we’ll have a favorable reception in the state senate,” he said.
HB 937 currently has six co-sponsors: Rep. Travel Wilson, R-St. Charles; Rep. Brian Seitz, R-Branson; Rep. Wendy Hausman, R-St. Peters; Rep. Sherri Gallick, R-Cass County; Rep. Terri Violet, R-St. Charles and Rep. Burt Whaley, R-Stone and Christian Counties. Pending action following the committee hearing, the bill has not yet been placed on the house calendar for floor action.
