The state House Education Committee passed a bill that would ban any public school instruction deemed antisemitic.
Rabbi Pinchas Allouche says these protections are needed. He says criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic, but some go too far.
"But genocidal chants of 'free Palestine,' 'River to the Sea,' any silent or verbal support of terrorist groups and actions, and any attack on Israel’s very right to exist are nothing but pure evil, disgusting and intolerable antisemitism," Allouche said.
Isela Blanc with the Arizona Education Association voiced concern that the penalties are too severe. The bill would give adult students, or parents of minor students, the right to take alleged violators to court.
"A student will be able to sue that educator out of their house and home," Blanc said. "And you tell me, who would want to stay in that classroom if that legislation becomes law?"
She says that’s especially concerning since the bill’s wording could have multiple interpretations.
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The Department of Interior rolled back habitat protection rules in the Endangered Species Act in July. Arizona and about 20 other states say in new legal filings that the Trump administration acted illegally. -
More than two decades ago, the 9/11 terror attacks touched every aspect of life in America — including for newcomers, who were in the midst of immigration processes, like seeking U.S. citizenship. -
Sept. 11 started as a regular morning for Jeff Flake. Eight months after he was sworn into the House, the freshman Republican from Snowflake dropped his wife, Cheryl, at the airport for a flight home to Arizona and headed to the Capitol for a hearing. -
The report from the American Economic Liberties Project tracks how policies going back to the post World War II era eventually led to the housing crisis seen in Phoenix today. It also offered policies for a way out. -
Local farmers, businesses and homeowners in Yuma County have been raising concerns over the use of treated sewage as fertilizer on state-leased land. Now, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced that the state has terminated its contract with the company responsible.
