Holocaust survivors emerged from the darkest chapter of human history determined that the world must never again turn a blind eye to evil. Eighty years later, the countless stories of young Jewish and Pro-Israel students, October 7 hostage survivors and families of those murdered remind us that antisemitism never truly disappears. It adapts, proliferates, and threatens to take root wherever good people fail to confront Jew hate.
Since the terrorist attacks In Israel on October 7, 2023, antisemitism has resurfaced with a vengeance in shocking ways across the United States and, most alarming, right here in Missouri. Jewish students have been harassed in Missouri high schools and on our college campuses, vilified online, and threatened simply for being Jews. In recent months, too many have faced intimidation, harassment, bullying, vandalism, and acts of violence based on anti-Zionism and anti-Jew hate. Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center reported a 300% rise in antisemitic incidents on college campuses in 2024 compared to 2022. Almost half of college students take steps to hide their Jewish identity on campus.
The rate of antisemitism in the U.S. has exploded 900% over the past decade. According to recent surveys, 79% of American Jews feel less safe with 33% having been the personal target of antisemitic behavior in the past year. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Hate Crime Report showed that antisemitic hate crimes in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2024, documenting 1,938 anti-Jewish hate crimes. The incidents represented 69% of all religion-based hate crimes, despite Jews making up just 2% of the U.S. population.
It’s not just a national crisis. Anti-Jew violence hit locally, with a St. Louis Jewish family specifically targeted and their cars firebombed last August in the dead of night, which could have resulted in catastrophic fatalities. Numerous schools, Jewish synagogues and even highway overpasses have been subject to antisemitic graffiti, vandalism and protests.
That’s why we, one state representative whose family survived the Holocaust, the other a state senator deeply committed to protecting civil rights, are jointly sponsoring necessary legislation to keep Jewish students safe at school and on campus. Our bills, HB 2061 and SB 1051, will formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism in Missouri law, require public K-20 schools to handle antisemitic incidents in a non-discriminatory manner as a potential title VI violation and require them to publicly report antisemitic complaints, rather than sweeping them under the rug.
Our goal is simple: to ensure students can safely attend Missouri’s public educational institutions without fear of harassment, intimidation, assault or worse.
The U.S. State Department first adopted the IHRA definition in 2016 under President Obama with bipartisan support. Each administration since, both Republican and Democrat, has reaffirmed its use. In addition, 37 U.S. states, and the District of Columbia have adopted it and 16 have codified it into law. In 2025, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, states with both Republican and Democratic governors, enacted legislation adopting IHRA and expanding protections for Jewish students.
Closer to home, St. Louis County and Kansas City adopted IHRA unanimously in 2022, without objection or public resistance, as have over 100 municipalities throughout the country to date.
The IHRA definition is the globally recognized standard in over 44 countries for identifying and addressing antisemitism. Classified as a non-legally binding working definition, IHRA provides a practical framework to educate schools, law enforcement, prosecutors, and media as to what antisemitism looks like in the modern world.
Recently, law enforcement has affirmed their support for our proposed Missouri IHRA legislation, including the Missouri Law Enforcement Legislative Coalition representing police chiefs and law enforcement leaders across the state, along with the St. Louis County Fraternal Order of Police. They insist that the IHRA would have been a vital tool to help in the ongoing FBI investigation of the targeted Clayton firebombing and help them to provide safety and security to all communities.
Some argue that defining antisemitism could restrict freedom of speech. However, the IHRA framework and our bills explicitly state that it does not conflict with or infringe upon the First Amendment. Offensive or controversial speech, including criticism of Israel like criticizing any other government, remains protected.
The working global definition of IHRA aids officials when criticism or threats crosses the line into Jew hate, targeting Jewish communities collectively or invoking centuries-old discriminatory tropes and blood libels.
The IHRA definition has been endorsed by nearly every major Jewish organization in the nation, from the Combat Antisemitism Movement, Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee to the Jewish Federations of North America and the Elie Wiesel Foundation. No credible legal challenge has ever been filed against its use in any state, and it is a proven, bipartisan tool to help address Jew hate.
As deadly attacks on Jews and synagogues have exploded worldwide, it is imperative that we, as Missouri elected leaders, do everything in our power to ensure the safety of all, including Jewish communities. When Jewish Missourians are altering their daily behavior because of threats, frightened to assemble for worship and worried about the security of their children at school, we must act. We will always stand for protected robust debate but firmly against harassment, threats and calls for violence.
Missouri must be proactive, not reactive. Our duty as state legislators is to protect the security and safety of all Missourians. We must support our law enforcement partners who are asking us for the tools they need to keep us safe. We must stand and support our Jewish neighbors.
Missouri has always stood for freedom, fairness, and mutual respect so adopting IHRA is critical. We are proud to work together and are committed to keeping Missouri a safe place where all people can live, learn, and worship without fear. The lessons of history demand nothing less, antisemitism has no place in Missouri. Never again is now!
Sen. Curtis Trent represents Senate District 20 Rep. George Hruza represents House District 89
