Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Madrid Assembly officially adopts IHRA definition of anti-Semitism

The local parliament also demanded that Spain’s national parliament adopt legislation to deny public aid to entities that promote anti-Semitism.

Assembly of Madrid. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Assembly of Madrid. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Madrid Assembly, the local parliament of Spain’s main region, adopted on Friday the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism.

In addition, the Assembly demanded that the country’s national parliament adopt legislation precluding any possible grant or public aid to entities that promote anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA, according to pro-Israel advocacy organization Action and Communication on the Middle East (ACOM).

This proposal would effectively exclude public financing of any BDS group or activity in Spain, a nation where BDS has gained popularity in recent years.

The law was supported by the Partido Popular, the ruling party in the Madrid region, led by President of Madrid Isabel Díaz Ayuso, “a strong and committed defender of Israel,” according to ACOM, with the support of the the Socialist Party (center-left), and the VOX Party (conservative).

Emphasis was placed on sweets “to provide troops with a real holiday atmosphere.”
Israel’s military called it a “cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians.”
An American Jewish Committee spokesman told JNS that the group is “grateful for the severity with which the Justice Department is handling this case.”
NYPD said the investigation into the death of Albert Itzkowitz, 75, a former Hatzolah volunteer and kosher bakery owner, remains ongoing and that no arrests have been made.
“At a time when Jewish Americans are facing a deeply troubling rise in violence and harassment, it is critical to recognize organizations that have spent generations standing up to hate and defending the truth,” Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. said.