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9 Things You Didn’t Know About the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

The IHRA Definition is becoming a leading global tool to identify and combat antisemitism. Here are 9 things you might not know about it -

1. What is the IHRA?
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, also known as “IHRA”, was established in 1998 to promote Holocaust education and research as well as to counter the growing phenomenon of Holocaust denial and antisemitism. The IHRA working definition of antisemitism was born out of an EU report and it contains 11 examples of different forms of antisemitism.

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2.   Who adopted the IHRA definition?
As of December 2019, the working definition of antisemitism was adopted by the 33 member countries of the IHRA, and by 18 other countries independently, such as: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Scotland, Czech Republic, Lithuania,  Republic of Macedonia, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Belgium, Republic of Moldova, Greece, Cyprus, and Portugal.

3.   US added a missing example
This past August the US State Department updated the definition its website to include an important example of antisemitism that was originally missing: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” Many BDS organizations and leaders are in breach of this example.

4.   IHRA and the BDS Movement?
On September 2019 the UN published a report which acknowledges that the, "objectives, activities and effects of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement are fundamentally antisemitic." Key players in the BDS movement have used Antisemitic narratives, conspiracies and tropes in the course of expressing support for the campaign itself, and for encouraging the delegitimization of the State of Israel.

5.    Most prominent types of antisemitism used by the BDS

  • Denying the right of Jews to self-determination (Example 7 of the IHRA definition)

  • Comparing Israeli policy to that of the Nazis (Example 10)

  • Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism to characterize Israel or Israelis, e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or other blood libels (Example 9)

6.   German Parliament deemed the BDS is antisemitic
In a landmark decision, the German Bundestag passed a resolution in May 2019, declaring that the BDS movement against Israel is antisemitic.

7.   The IHRA working definition introduced as part of Florida legislation
This year the Florida Senate unanimously passed a bill prohibiting antisemitism in public schools and universities, using the IHRA working definition as its guideline.

8.   IHRA adoption and application in the UK
During the summer of 2019 a local council in London refused to host an event over concerns that it would lead to violations of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, previously adopted by the council.

9.   World leaders agree: Anti-Zionism is antisemitism
Several world leaders have publicly recognized the inherent connection between anti-Zionism and antisemitism in the wake of their countries’ adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Leaders include: French President Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Pope Francis.