Our speaker will be Jawhara Qutiefan of the Ohio Legislative Strategy Group and Ohio Statewide Divest Coalition. 

Ohio lawmakers are moving quickly on SB 87, a bill that would attach the IHRA definition of antisemitism to Ohio’s ethnic intimidation statute. This definition was never meant to be legally binding and is vague and political, blurring the line between antisemitism and criticism of Israel. Because ethnic intimidation is a felony, SB 87 creates a real risk that protected speech including criticism of the Israeli government could be treated as criminal conduct.

Ohio already has laws addressing hate crimes and discrimination. This bill expands government power and threatens free speech.

There is a high likelihood of opponent testimony on February 18 at 9:45 AM.

If you are interested in submitting written or in-person testimony, we strongly recommend starting now.