LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — History was made in the Nevada Legislature this year with the passage of Senate Bill 179, which calls for an official definition of antisemitism in Nevada.
I talked to 16-year-old Ethan Cohen, one of two Las Vegas teens who created this bill.
Watch the interview here:
TRICIA KEAN: "Congratulations, first off, on the passage of this bill. How did this bill come about?"
ETHAN COHEN: "It's no secret that antisemitism in Nevada has just been skyrocketing over the past few years, and I wanted to go straight to the Legislature and do something about it to help combat just the wave of hate that we've seen in our community.
This definition of antisemitism is going to be used as a tool for investigators [from the Nevada Equal Rights Commission]. Whenever they're investigating discrimination, they have to use this definition of antisemitism to determine if that discrimination was actually antisemitic or not, so it makes this process more efficient and more streamlined, so we can combat it quicker, more efficiently."
KEAN: "Even yesterday, Mayor Shelley Berkley urged lawmakers to pass this bill. How did that make you feel?"
COHEN: "She's been truly, truly an anchor for getting this bill done. And we've seen a lot of support from elected officials, from Councilwoman [Victoria] Seaman, Commissioner [Michael] Naft, Lt. Gov. [Stavros] Anthony, and also from organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federation, Israeli American Civic Action Network."
KEAN: "This made history in Nevada. Talk a little bit about that."
COHEN: "That a definition of antisemitism is actually codified into Nevada law, and it's also the first time that it's been done in a democratically controlled legislature. Other states have passed similar laws, but it's been in states where Republicans have controlled the chamber or the state legislatures, but Nevada has been the first state in the United States to pass this type of law in a Legislature controlled by Democrats in both houses, so it's truly, truly groundbreaking.
I hope Governor Lombardo will sign it pretty soon, and I'm sure he will."
