The city commission of Parkland, Fla., unanimously adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism on Wednesday, amending city provisions to guide how Jew-hatred and hate crimes are considered in enforcing local laws.
The ordinance creates a new section of the city’s code formally adopting the IHRA definition and incorporates language from Florida state law addressing antisemitism and hate crimes. City officials stressed that the measure does not restrict speech or infringe on First Amendment rights.
According to the meeting agenda, the ordinance is intended to “demonstrate the city’s commitment to combat antisemitism” and includes provisions governing implementation, conflicts, severability, codification and an effective date.
Public comment featured testimony from members of Parkland’s Jewish community, all of whom spoke in support of the measure. No speakers testified in opposition.
Chabad Rabbi Shuey Biston said he was speaking “not only as a rabbi but as a 28-year Parkland resident who has built a life here, raised a family here and believes deeply in the moral soul of Parkland.”
Biston referenced an incident involving a man who allegedly had writings and a manifesto describing violent fantasies, including targeting Chabad of Parkland and former Parkland commissioner Jared Moskowitz.
“That knowledge reminded us that antisemitism is not abstract,” Biston said. “It’s not hypothetical, and it’s not someone else’s problem.”
He said that adopting the IHRA definition would provide clarity for confronting antisemitism, adding that it was meant “not to criminalize speech, not to silence disagreement, but to give our city moral clarity.”
The ordinance was approved unanimously following a roll-call vote by the city commission, which includes Parkland Mayor Rich Walker, Vice Mayor Simeon Brier and commissioners Jordan Isrow, Neil Kanterman and Cindy Murphy-Salomone.
Isrow, who is Jewish, said he has “never in my 41 years on this earth ever felt personally unsafe until after Oct. 7, 2023.”
“For me, as a Jewish member of the community, I felt for the first time that I had to be worried about my kids’ safety,” he said.
Isrow acknowledged initial hesitation among commissioners about adopting the IHRA definition but said the phrase “never again” requires action. As an attorney, he stated, he understands free-speech concerns but noted that the ordinance explicitly states it does not interfere with First Amendment rights.
“If you want to go out and say you hate Jews, nothing’s stopping you,” he said. “You want to go, and you want to assault someone while screaming ‘death to Jews,’ it’s a hate crime.”
