Ohio
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The state of Ohio has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

On April 14, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order adopting the definition. The order required that all state departments, agencies, commissions, boards, and public universities and colleges also adopt it, the Cleveland Jewish News reported.

The new order will mean that government-linked bodies will have to use the definition when investigating or ruling on matters involving discrimination against Jews.

DeWine said he signed the order in response to an increase in antisemitic incidents in Ohio and across the United States.

Howie Beigelman, executive director of Ohio Jewish Communities, told the Jewish News that DeWin has promised the Jewish community that he is committed to combating antisemitism. Beigelman said that the executive order was part of that commitment.

“Together with his powerful letter to college and university presidents in December on making the campus safe for Jewish students, faculty, and staff, Ohio leads the way in facing this ancient hatred head-on. We are grateful for his leadership.” he said.

Earlier in the year, Ohio passed a religious freedom bill supported by the state’s Jewish community.

The bill signed by DeWine on February 28 received bipartisan support in the state legislature. It mandated that high schools accommodate religious beliefs, including clothing and head coverings during athletic events.

(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat and Passover in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)