IHRA Adoption
Combatting anti-Semitism is fundamental to supporting our communities and we will increase support for the safety and security for all our Commonwealth Jewish Communities, no matter how small.
The CJC is leading efforts to have the International Holocaust remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism adopted by governments and non-governmental organisations throughout the Commonwealth. We have established an international high-level working group to collaborate and build wider partnerships across our four regional hubs (Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the UK). This group engages directly with ministers, civil servants and parliamentarians on behalf of our affiliated communities to influence public policy to combat antisemitism. Learning from IHRA members through policy discussions, we have been working to develop case studies that showcase good practice on adoption of the definition and identify barriers, as we build an evidence-based approach to adoption. For many of our communities, the most important relationships are with their local governments, so we also support our members’ advocacy and bring them together with decision-makers to drive adoption of the definition at the local level.
About IHRA
The IHRA is the only intergovernmental organization mandated to focus solely on Holocaust-related issues, so with evidence that the scourge of antisemitism is once again on the rise, we resolved to take a leading role in combatting it. IHRA experts determined that in order to begin to address the problem of antisemitism, there must be clarity about what antisemitism is.
The working definition
In the spirit of the Stockholm Declaration that states: “With humanity still scarred by …antisemitism and xenophobia the international community shares a solemn responsibility to fight those evils” the committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial called the IHRA Plenary in Budapest 2015 to adopt the following working definition of antisemitism.
On 26 May 2016, the Plenary in Bucharest decided to:
Adopt the following non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
To join the campaign and keep up to-date with our IHRA, the latest developments related to Holocaust education, research and remembrance please contact us.
