Two dozen Israeli colleges and institutes of higher education have officially adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, aligning with a global movement to combat rising Jew-hatred.
The decision follows Israel assuming the rotating presidency of the IHRA, an intergovernmental organization comprising more than 40 countries that promotes Holocaust remembrance, education and research. The move comes amid a global spike in antisemitic incidents triggered by the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in the Gaza Strip.
“Israel carrying the torch of the global fight against antisemitism this year as president of IHRA underscores the importance of organizations and bodies, including Israeli academia, to confront the unprecedented amount of antisemitism and BDS efforts that have raised their heads since Oct. 7,” said Tom Yohay, Manager of CAMERA on Campus Israel, which co-sponsored a Tel Aviv conference on the subject last year.
The IHRA’s non-legally binding working definition, adopted in 2016, provides a framework for identifying contemporary forms of antisemitism, including Holocaust denial, antisemitic tropes, and discrimination against Jews under the guise of anti-Israel criticism. It has been officially recognized by more than 1,200 entities worldwide, including the U.S. State Department.
