JTA — California could become the first state in the US to consider “Jewish” an ethnic and racial identity, rather than just a religious affiliation.
A groundbreaking bill, which was recently approved by the State Senate and is awaiting a vote in the Assembly, would expand California’s legal definition of ethnicity “to include Jewish identity” in demographic data collection. In other words, state agency forms would need to include a “Jewish” category in questions that allow for voluntary disclosures of ethnicity or race.
If the bill, SB 1387, goes on to become law, this requirement would also apply to public entities ranging from public schools to unemployment offices to prisons. But the clock is ticking, as Monday, August 31, is the final day of the year that California lawmakers can pass legislation. The governor then has until September 30 to sign bills into law or veto them.
The ethnicity legislation has been a priority among many Jewish groups across the Gold Rush state, who believe that Jewish peoplehood should be tied to far more than just religion — and that the law should reflect this unique relationship.
“When state law misrepresents us and puts us in this box of just a religion, there are a number of implications,” said David Bocarsly, CEO of Jewish California, an umbrella coalition for dozens of organizations that sponsored the bill.
