Indiana
Changes to Indiana antisemitism bill drains support from many in Hoosier Jewish community – Indiana Capital Chronicle
A major change to a bill that would define and ban antisemitism at Indiana’s public education institutions led to a reversal of support and opposition among those who testified on the proposal at the Statehouse Wednesday.
In contention is the removal of a definition of antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which was included in the original version of House Bill 1002.
The IHRA’s “working definition” includes contemporary examples of antisemitism, like “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” and “holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel.”
Lawmakers in the Senate education committee amended the legislation on Wednesday to remove mention of IHRA and its examples of antisemitism, however. The newest draft of the bill instead defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.”
The measure was unanimously approved by the committee and now heads to the Senate floor.
“We’ve made some changes to try to ensure that we’re not referencing outside entities, but that we’re making the definition our own in the code, and the bill really tries to strike a balance of not impeding on any free speech, but just saying if we fund state education, we want that education to reflect our values as a body,” said Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, who authored the priority measure for the House GOP caucus.
“We wanted to be careful about referencing sort of outside groups, because if their definition changes, we don’t want anybody to impose that ours is supposed to be changed,” he continued.
But numerous members of Indiana’s Jewish community said they can’t support the bill unless it codifies the IHRA definition into state law.
“I’m extremely disappointed that the amendment that passed did not include reference to the IHRA statement. This essentially gutted the bill we wrote, and now leaves Jews without equal protection,” said Allon Friedman, president of the Jewish Affairs Committee of Indiana, which helped craft the bill. “This is essentially abandonment of the Indiana Jewish community and unwittingly rewards our enemies. … The Jewish community is absolutely united on this issue — we do not want the bill without IHRA.”
What is the IHRA definition?
Indiana law already bans discrimination on the basis of race and “creed,” which means religion. The legislation specifies that antisemitism — bias against Jewish people — is religious discrimination and is not allowed within the public education system.
The definition approved by the Senate committee is part — but not all — of IHRA’s overall definition of antisemitism.
By removing reference to IHRA, the bill excludes the alliance’s examples of contemporary antisemitism that would have also been outlawed in Indiana, including:
- Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
- Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
- Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.
- Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).
- Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
- Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
- Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
- Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
- Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
- Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
- Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.
Jeter filed an identical bill in 2023. It passed out of the House in a 97-0 vote but never received a committee hearing in the Senate, effectively killing the proposal.
He conceded Wednesday “there was some issue with some of those examples,” though.
“Anytime we do lists in bills and legislation, I feel like it gets a little iffy,” he told the Senate committee.
Before the amendment, critics of the proposal maintained it limits free speech and suggests criticism of a foreign government would count as anti-Jewish rhetoric.
More than two dozen people who testified against the original bill emphasized that criticism of the Israeli government does not amount to antisemitism. Some warned of witch hunts under the vague definition.
Many of those issues appeared to be resolved with the updated version of Jeter’s bill.
“Most of our concerns with this bill were related to very specific language that was in there that conflated antisemitism with criticism against the State of Israel. As this amendment stands now, most of those concerns have been addressed,” said Syed Ali Saeed, president of the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network. “I don’t think the IHRA definition is the best definition. It’s not the most complete, most fluid definition that’s out there.”
Indiana lawmakers move forward with bills to ban antisemitism, expand workforce training funds
Maliha Zafar, executive director of the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, added that although the examples in the IHRA definition “undeniably address antisemitic sentiments,” the list is “concurrently overly broad and would have inadvertently stifled legitimate criticism and analysis of Israeli policies.”
Daniel Segal, representing Jewish Voice for Peace – Indiana, said the group “strongly objected” to the IHRA definition’s examples of anti semitism and its “confusing criticism of the State of Israel, and its policies, with antisemitism.”
“We believe that the amendments that have been made render this bill acceptable — the harmful elements have been removed,” Segal said. “The previous bill, we thought, was harmful to our Arab brothers and sisters, and we committed as Jews to ensuring that ‘never again’ is for everybody. And that includes Palestinians. As Jews, that is part of our faith and is part of what we learned from the horrible experience of the Holocaust.”
Jewish community withdraws support
Although originally in support of the bill, many from Indiana’s Jewish community said “hateful” and “harmful” acts of semitism will continue across the state’s colleges and universities unless the IHRA definition is added back in.
“As a Jewish student, we navigate a world where concealing our identity has become a necessity. On a campus where 10 to 12% of students are Jewish, incidents of antisemitism have skyrocketed by over 800%,” said Indiana University junior Kaylee Werner, who is also chair of the school’s Antisemitism Prevention Task Force.
She pointed to vandalism and swastikas “stained” on campus walls, as well as “unfair treatment” against Jewish students by some professors.
“This is the harsh reality that we face daily. The House-passed IHRA statement offers a beacon of hope in this darkness. It equips our administration with the necessary tools to combat antisemitism effectively and educate our community,” Werner said. “In this conversation, there is no room for ambiguity. There is either hate, or there is acceptance. There’s either right, or there’s wrong. We urgently need this statement to clearly identify and denounce these acts as antisemitism.”
Rabbi Sue Silberberg, executive director at IU Hillel, additionally emphasized that “we need the bill as passed through the House in order to protect the Jewish students on campus who are suffering every single day.”
In this conversation, there is no room for ambiguity. There is either hate, or there is acceptance. There’s either right, or there’s wrong. We urgently need this statement to clearly identify and denounce these acts as antisemitism.
– Indiana University junior Kaylee Werner
“We must recognize that Jewish students are marginalized, hated and discriminated against based on their spiritual connection, and this is antisemitism. … They are being harassed, they are being bullied, and they are being marginalized,” she said, noting that — since the Hamas attack in October — she has been “working with and seeing students who are facing severe antisemitism on campus every single day, in a way that I have not seen in the past 35 years.”
Even so, Sen. John Crane, R-Avon, said antisemitism and mistreatment of “Jews or any ethnic or racial group” is “absolutely abhorrent, the challenge is whether “government will be able to solve that.”
“I don’t think so,” Crane said. “I’m of a mind of a gentleman named Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who survived in the Russian Gulag, who said the line separating good and evil runs straight through the human heart. And at the end of the day, it’s a human problem that we’re going to have to be able to address, irrespective of whatever steps we attempt to take through governmental action.”
Several other Republican senators said Wednesday they were concerned about the amended bill, citing oppositional testimony from those in the Hoosier Jewish community.
Those lawmakers still voted in favor of the bill but said they want additional changes on the chamber floor to address those grievances.
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The resort area of southwest Michigan along Lake Michigan is wildly popular with Chicagoans in summer and fall for good reason. The coastal stretch offers sophisticated dining and shops, breweries, wineries, beaches, sunsets on Lake Michigan and a vacation vibe wherever you go.
If you haven’t been in a couple of years, you’ll find Indiana’s coast, home of the Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park, is worth more than a hiking or gas-station stop.
Though the towns along the lake are small and don’t have centers of commerce, many exciting new places have sprung up on U.S. Route 12, the scenic drive that skirts the lake’s edge.
Beverly Shores and Michigan City, Ind.
Miles from Chicago: 54
Sadly, the orange Studebaker that for years served up excellent wood-fired pizza is no longer parked in Beverly Shores, a small lake community famous for its collection of historic homes from the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair. The only way to get a South Shore Ovenworks pie now is to reserve the food truck for a private event.
Console yourself with shopping. The founder and former owner of Cowboys and Astronauts, a men’s store in Andersonville, has opened Blanket Fort (1 E. Dunes Highway), a design studio and shop in Beverly Shores. Matthew Buccilla describes his style as “vintage modern meets-cozy cabin-meets Japanese wabi-sabi.” His bona fides include designing spaces around the world for furniture maker Herman Miller. Blanket Fort, located in a cool midcentury building, is open the first and third weekends of the month.
The Heron, a French restaurant in Michigan City, Ind.
Neighboring Michigan City has seen an explosion of new restaurants, including The Heron (522 Franklin St.) which thankfully has strayed from the usual New American/Italian playbook and instead focuses on French food. A great happy hour from 4-6 p.m. (even Fridays!) features $10 martinis and deeply discounted wine and beer.
Up the street is Rocco’s Tavern (827 Franklin St.) from the family who owns Cafe Farina next door and Farina’s Supper Club in Michiana. Rocco’s makes you feel like you’re in a Rush Street steakhouse.
Interior of Rocco’s Tavern in Michigan City, Ind.
A reservation-only 12-seat Lebanese restaurant, C.12, (132 E. 6th St.) just opened in the lower level of a 100-year-old Masonic Temple. It’s owned by longtime area restaurateur Momahed “Moe” Mroueh. Diners sit around a horseshoe-shaped counter with an open kitchen. There’s one seating a night, offering a prix-fixe tasting menu ($65).
Also below ground is The Nightingale (1108 Franklin St.), a moody spot with small lamp-lit tables, great old-school cocktails, and live music, mostly jazz and blues. It’s open only occasionally so check before you go.
Cellar Door (1901 Franklin St.) opened last year in an historic building that once housed Harmony Bar. Cellar Door is everything you want in a classic neighborhood tavern — friendly service, carved wooden bar, games (10-pin bowling! Vintage pinball!), patio — and then add good wine and creative food. The head bartender and chef came from the well-regarded Hummingbird Lounge in New Buffalo.
A few new shopping options have popped up in Michigan City, too: The Wren (410 Wabash St.), a gift shop with a focus on sustainable, natural products, is across from Lighthouse Place Outlet Mall. Abigail Hayden Interiors & Design (607 Franklin St.) is a charming shop in the Arts District, filled with home accessories and art, as well as the owner’s own line of upholstered furniture.
The Standard 1208 in Michigan City, Ind.
The Standard 1208 (1208 E. Second St. at U.S. 12), formerly called Unsalted No Sharks and located in downtown Michigan City, has opened in an old Standard Oil station across from Burn ’Em Brewing (1215 E. Second St.). In addition to cool gifts and souvenirs, The Standard serves Italian sub sandwiches, great for taking to the beach. A second location just opened in New Buffalo (19 N. Whittaker St.).
Michiana, Ind.
Miles from Chicago: 67
The bar at Tavern on Twelve in Michiana, Ind.
Heading north on Route 12, Swells: A Dive Bar (3201 U.S. 12), cooks up four kinds of pizza: tavern style, Detroit style, deep dish and hand-tossed (New York style) and manages to do it all extremely well. There are soups, salads and sandwiches, too. It’s the sort of place where groups come to watch their team on TV. A dive bar with Veuve Clicquot on the menu? Sign me up.
Just up the road is Tonelli’s Tavern on Twelve (3103 U.S. 12), from the owner of Michigan City’s popular Tonelli’s, which closed a few years ago. This property has hosted a few restaurants in recent years (Blind Pig, Trip’s Tree House), but Tonelli’s seems to have found a groove in its 12 months in business, serving up classic Italian red-sauce fare at decent prices.
New Buffalo and Union Pier, Mich.
Miles from Chicago: 70
Farmette, a provisions store on the outskirts of New Buffalo
Across the border in Michigan, you might think not much changes in the little towns along Red Arrow Highway save for the time change. But many new restaurants and shops have opened, and a couple of longtime favorites have shuttered.
Just past all the new cannabis dispensaries on Route 12 (some 18 or so with more on the way), Farmette (18439 U.S. 12) on the outskirts of New Buffalo has become an instant favorite, with an in-house bakery specializing in sourdough, a coffee and drinks bar, and specialty food shop with a well-stocked freezer and refrigerator case, as well as produce and flowers in season (much of it grown on site). The owner tended Rick Bayless’ garden in Chicago once upon a time.
New Buffalo is home to arguably the hottest restaurant along this coast: PostBoy (207 N. Whittaker St.), which opened in fall of 2024. Heading the kitchen is James Galbraith, who founded Benton Harbor’s foodie favorites Houndstooth and Anemel. Galbraith previously worked under Chicago chefs at Intro, Blackbird, Elske, S.K.Y., Bellemore, and Boka. There’s a hopping patio and indoor/outdoor bar; be sure to reserve ahead. This place gets jammed.
If you’re looking for food to take to your Airbnb or vacation home, Angela’s Provisions (225 N. Whittaker St.) has homemade soups, pastas, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and salads, made to order or stocked in the fridge/freezer case.
Bookshore in New Buffalo, Mich.
The perfect hostess gift for discerning hosts is at Bookshore, which features big, gorgeous art books meant for a coffee table — or any surface. It’s owned by the same family that runs the popular tourist draw Stray Dog restaurant.
Harbor Country’s biggest news lately was the closing of Greenbush Brewing Company in Sawyer, a popular spot for 12 years. But beer lovers have other options.
The newest of the lot, which opened last fall, is Mangata Beer Co. (15936 Red Arrow Highway) in Union Pier, a sister operation of the award-winning Transient Artisan Ales (4229 Lake St.) in Bridgman. This tasting room focuses on easy-drinking, lower-alcohol beers such as pilsners, lagers, saisons and Belgian ales, all created at Transient’s brewhouse.
Sawyer and Three Oaks, Mich.
Miles from Chicago: 80
Longstory, a restaurant in Three Oaks, Mich.
Fulcra Brewing Company (13400 Red Arrow Highway) opened last July in a two-room bungalow in Sawyer, the dream of two home brewers (one a Dark Matter Coffee alum.) Fulcra focuses on balanced, drinkable brews. A beer garden has just opened; look for live music, food trucks or restaurant pop-ups, the owners say.
Three Oaks saw the closing of its popular pizza take-out, Patellie’s, last winter. But while pizza lovers mourned the loss, the owners used the space to expand their wine and beer store. P.+E. Bottle Shop (28 N. Elm St.) now carries cheese, bread, crackers, olives and prepared food — all the stuff that goes great with wine. And speaking of wine, there’s now a much-expanded selection of wine and craft beer.
For breakfast or lunch, two Chicago transplants have reopened the popular Viola Cafe (102 N. Elm St.), which was closed for a few years. Along with their chef, former Chopping Block owner Shelley Young, they’ve put a Southern twist on it. Think po’ boys, beignets, meat loaf, greens, fried green tomatoes and mac ’n’ cheese alongside breakfast classics.
Three Oaks had not had a stylish dinner spot for dinner until recently, with the opening of Longstory (8 Maple St.) in December 2024. The restaurant has had some bumps, with chef changes and the like, but is popular with locals, who gather for happy hours and order from the New-American-with-an-accent menu of chicken shawarma, Tuscan kale salad, polenta torte, grilled fish, New York strip, roasted beets and more.
Inside the popular boutique Goods & Heroes (7 Maple St.), a former clearance room has become a store within a store, GH Yarn Haus, which specializes in natural fibers and holds knitting get-togethers and classes.
Dreihart Winery, a wine tasting room, in Three Oaks, Mich.
A small wine tasting room (capacity: 25) opened in spring 2025 just off Three Oaks’ main drag. Dreihart Winery (6 Linden St. E.) is an offshoot of 6 Linden, which sells local meat, produce, eggs and cheeses, along with imported pastas and such. Winemaker Gottfried Hart, a charming man with a few stories to tell, is usually pouring. A former co-owner of Hickory Creek Winery in Buchanan, he’s one of several area winemakers who understands that Michigan can produce dry, complex wines similar to those from Austria and his native Germany. Grab some smoked trout rillette to pair with your wine.
Jan Parr, a former Chicago journalist, lives in the middle of the Indiana Dunes, in Beverly Shores. She writes about local happenings at DunesDiva.com.
Saturday, May 30, 2026 12:14AM
HIGHLAND, Ind. (WLS) — Police are searching for a missing man with autism who was last seen riding a bicycle near his home in Northwest Indiana.
Brody Shelton, 21, was last seen around noon Thursday near Laporte Street and Johnston Street in Highland, Indiana, officials said.
Indiana State Police have issued a Silver Alert as the the search for Shelton continues.
He is 5 feet 2 inches tall, 155 pounds, brown hair with brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a beige and green sweatshirt, and riding a blue/green Huffy mountain bike, police said.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Highland Police Department at 219-838-3184 or 911.
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(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
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