Pillen signs executive order targeting antisemitism in Nebraska schools

Gov. Jim Pillen signed an executive order Friday establishing standards and reporting measures for state entities to further combat antisemitism in Nebraska. 

The governor's order comes after the Legislature failed to pass a bill (LB538) introduced by Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering this session requiring public school boards and postsecondary institutions to adopt a discrimination and harassment policy that includes antisemitism.

Both the legislation and Pillen's executive order utilized the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism, which equivocates criticisms of the state of Israel with broad discrimination against Jewish people.

At a press conference Friday, Pillen said this framework will help educational institutions better address the "unacceptable surge of antisemitism" by ensuring their policies align "with the federal and state civil rights protections." 

"In Nebraska, we do not tolerate hate in any form," Pillen said. "The only way hatred can thrive is if history is forgotten. We all agree our schools are sanctuaries of learning and safety and respect. No student in Nebraska should ever have to hide their faith, their heritage or who they are out of fear."

Pillen said when he visited Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last fall, he met with an Israeli citizen who had lost family during the Oct. 7 attacks in 2023. 

"My takeaway was really, extraordinarily humbling,” Pillen said. “The people of Israel, if there’s one word to describe it, it’s called ‘survival.'"

He added that in the Israeli village he visited, more than 400 people had been slaughtered who had tried to help Palestinians. 

"Everybody, whether it's in the Gaza Strip, or elsewhere, they want to kill every Jewish person on the planet,” Pillen said of Palestinians. “Anybody that wants to stand up and talk about Palestinians, they’ve got to understand that those people are born to kill Jews and Christians.”

When asked if this generalization of Palestinians was harmful rhetoric, Pillen said all he can go by is what he saw, learned and heard.

"I sat with 25 other governors 30 days after the October attacks. A couple of governors had to get up and leave after seeing dead bodies being dragged through the streets in Gaza," Pillen said. "I don't think I need to go into any more of what actually took place. That's not a generalization." 

Jewish community leaders and faith advocacy organizers as well as state officials and lawmakers joined Pillen for the signing of the executive order. 

Bob Goldberg, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, said the executive order is a "proactive stand" to ensure antisemitism is recognized and addressed before it escalates.

"It moves us from reaction to prevention through education, awareness and accountability by establishing statewide reporting and education requirements," Goldberg said. "The fight against antisemitism is not just about protecting the Jewish community, it is about protecting the values that we all share as Americans." 

While critics of LB538 and its use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition argued it would erode free speech rights protected under the First Amendment by conflating critical political viewpoints with discrimination against a religious or ethnic group, Adam Barron, founder of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, pushed back, saying it does not infringe of anyone's First Amendment rights. 

"The order clarifies what would be antisemitism, and what would be legitimate criticism of Israel," Barron said, adding that people can "say whatever they want regarding Israel or any other matter under the sun."

Following the press conference, the Catholic Conference sent a statement on behalf of Catholic bishops serving in Nebraska that said they stand in solidarity with their Jewish brothers and sisters to "call out the rising scourge of antisemitism occurring across our state, nation and world." 

"As Pope Leo XIV has firmly stated, 'the Church does not tolerate anti-Semitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself.' We call all Nebraskans to be a blessing to one another and recognize we are each wonderfully and beautifully made b’tzelem Elohim (in the image of God). We thank Governor Pillen — and other civic and religious leaders — for uniting our community in peace and friendship which is urgently needed today," the statement read. 

In 2023, Pillen issued a proclamation aimed at fighting antisemitism, protecting Jewish Nebraskans and supporting Israel in its war with Hamas.

Pillen's proclamation endorsed the IHRA's working definition of antisemitism, and directed all state agencies to use that definition when investigating complaints of antisemitic harassment and discrimination.

More than 35 states have adopted or use the Holocaust alliance's working definition of antisemitism through legislation, executive orders or proclamations.