Supporters urge codifying IHRA definition; substitute adopted without contemporary examples

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday adopted a substitute for Senate Bill 87 and heard multiple proponent testimonies urging lawmakers to codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism for use in state agency anti-discrimination policies and trainings.

Vice Chair Reynolds moved to adopt the substitute; the chair announced the motion carried without objection. The committee’s motion language made clear the substitute places a definition of antisemitism into statute for state agency policy and training purposes and does not apply to criminal penalties.

Benjamin Rodriguez, testifying for the Cincinnati Coalition for Israel, urged adoption and said the IHRA definition, in his view, would help identify and deter a documented rise in antisemitic criminal acts across Ohio. "This bill cannot and will not infringe on anyone's First Amendment rights," Rodriguez said.

Mark Ashed, representing the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, described historical and recent local incidents of antisemitism and said the IHRA definition is the most accepted government-level definition. When asked by Senator Smith whether he could supply data about which of the 37 adopting states acted before or after Oct. 7, 2023, Ashed offered to provide exact figures to the chair's office.

David Soffer, with the Combat Antisemitism Movement, cited an organizational tally of 6,819 antisemitic incidents in 2025 and urged that the substitute include the IHRA’s contemporary examples to operationalize enforcement and institutional guidance; committee staff later noted the adopted amendment does not include those examples.

The committee recorded the testimony as the second hearing on SB87 and received additional written proponent submissions.