Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Southern Italian region of Campania adopts IHRA definition

Lydia Schapirer, the president of the Jewish community of Naples, said the move is “an act of great significance and sensitivity.”

Naples, Italy. Credit: Pixabay.
Naples, Italy. Credit: Pixabay.

Campania, a region in southwestern Italy, has voted unanimously to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism.

It is the third most populous region in Italy, known for its ancient ruins and dramatic coastline.

Naples, the regional capital of Campania, is home to about 200 Jews.

Lydia Schapirer, the president of the Jewish community of Naples, said the move is “an act of great significance and sensitivity.”

Also weighing in was the president of the Italy-Israel Federation, Giuseppe Crimaldi, who called it a “very important principle and very timely” and “a step of [a] great civilization.”

Mari Leavitt, a Democratic state representative, told JNS that the public university “used extremely poor judgment” by inviting Piker and erred by not including mention of Piker’s “dangerous rhetoric” in the initial event announcement.
“I’m seeing what’s going on in New York,” Stav Cohen, founder of the Israeli nonprofit Frontline Advocates, told JNS. “I fear for my speakers’ lives.”
“Calling it ‘settler violence’ is a provocation” which “denies our connection to the land of Israel” and “distracts from constant terrorist attacks against Israelis,” said Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon.
The “Associated Press” called the race for Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan about two hours after polls closed.