118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6090 
AN ACT 
To provide for the consideration of a definition of anti-
semitism set forth by the International Holocaust Re-
membrance Alliance for the enforcement of Federal anti-
discrimination laws concerning education programs or 
activities, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Antisemitism Aware-
ness Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), prohibits discrimination on 
the basis of race, color, and national origin in pro-
grams and activities receiving Federal financial as-
sistance; 
(2) while such title does not cover discrimina-
tion based solely on religion, individuals who face 
discrimination based on actual or perceived shared 
ancestry or ethnic characteristics do not lose protec-
tion under such title for also being members of a 
group that share a common religion; 
(3) discrimination against Jews may give rise to 
a violation of such title when the discrimination is 
based on race, color, or national origin, which can 
include discrimination based on actual or perceived 
shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; 
(4) it is the policy of the United States to en-
force such title against prohibited forms of discrimi-
nation rooted in antisemitism as vigorously as 
against all other forms of discrimination prohibited 
by such title; and
(5) as noted in the U.S. National Strategy to 
Counter Antisemitism issued by the White House on 
May 25, 2023, it is critical to— 
(A) increase awareness and understanding 
of antisemitism, including its threat to America; 
(B) improve safety and security for Jewish 
communities; 
(C) reverse the normalization of anti-
semitism and counter antisemitic discrimina-
tion; and 
(D) expand communication and collabora-
tion between communities. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Antisemitism is on the rise in the United 
States and is impacting Jewish students in K–12 
schools, colleges, and universities. 
(2) The International Holocaust Remembrance 
Alliance (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘IHRA’’) 
Working Definition of Antisemitism is a vital tool 
which helps individuals understand and identify the 
various manifestations of antisemitism. 
(3) On December 11, 2019, Executive Order 
13899 extended protections against discrimination 
under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to individuals
subjected to antisemitism on college and university 
campuses and tasked Federal agencies to consider 
the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism when 
enforcing title VI of such Act. 
(4) Since 2018, the Department of Education 
has used the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-
semitism when investigating violations of that title 
VI. 
(5) The use of alternative definitions of anti-
semitism impairs enforcement efforts by adding mul-
tiple standards and may fail to identify many of the 
modern manifestations of antisemitism. 
(6) The White House released the first-ever 
United States National Strategy to Counter Anti-
semitism on May 25, 2023, making clear that the 
fight against this hate is a national, bipartisan pri-
ority that must be successfully conducted through a 
whole-of-government-and-society approach. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘definition of anti-
semitism’’— 
(1) means the definition of antisemitism adopt-
ed on May 26, 2016, by the IHRA, of which the 
United States is a member, which definition has 
been adopted by the Department of State; and
(2) includes the ‘‘[c]ontemporary examples of 
antisemitism’’ identified in the IHRA definition. 
SEC. 5. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION FOR TITLE VI OF THE 
CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. 
In reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there 
has been a violation of title VI of the Civil Rights Act 
of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) on the basis of race, 
color, or national origin, based on an individual’s actual 
or perceived shared Jewish ancestry or Jewish ethnic char-
acteristics, the Department of Education shall take into 
consideration the definition of antisemitism as part of the 
Department’s assessment of whether the practice was mo-
tivated by antisemitic intent. 
SEC. 6. OTHER RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 
(a) GENERAL RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 
this Act shall be construed— 
(1) to expand the authority of the Secretary of 
Education; 
(2) to alter the standards pursuant to which the 
Department of Education makes a determination 
that harassing conduct amounts to actionable dis-
crimination; or 
(3) to diminish or infringe upon the rights pro-
tected under any other provision of law that is in ef-
fect as of the date of enactment of this Act.