Today, President Biden signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer NO HATE Act, following strong bipartisan passage in Congress. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) welcomes and applauds this new law to improve hate crimes reporting, tracking, and response, which is critical amid alarming increases in hate, bigotry, and discrimination in our country.

“JCPA has worked closely with its interfaith and intergroup partners for more than four years to achieve passage of the NO HATE Act. This is a crucial step in fighting rising hate, including antisemitism, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate, and more,” said David Bohm, Chair of the JCPA Policy Advisory Committee. “We believe that antisemitism is inextricably linked to other types of hate and bigotry, and it is crucial that we fight them together.”

JCPA prioritized combatting anti-AAPI hate since discrimination spiked at the onset of the pandemic. Last year, JCPA led a community-wide solidarity letter signed by over 70 Jewish groups and organized a joint JCPA/ADL letter from 26 national Jewish organizations urging Senate passage. We also urged the Administration to prioritize these issues in our recommendations for his first 100 days in office, and, over the past several months, JCPA has campaigned with Jewish and civil rights groups to garner support and passage in the House.

JCPA will continue collaborating with our partners in the secular, interfaith, and civil rights spaces to monitor and combat the rise in hate-based violence.