Foundation of the fight against hatred of Jews – IHRA working definition of antisemitism
The IHRA working definition of antisemitism is, among Jewish communities, federations and organisations worldwide the recognised and used definition of antisemitism. Beyond this it has been internationally recognised and adopted by 43 states. It is based on scholarly findings and addresses
Israel-related antisemitism, which since 7 October 2023 has been appearing as the most frequent form of
antisemitism.
Both the coalition agreement of the traffic-light government and the National Strategy against
Antisemitism and for Jewish Life, which was adopted by the German federal government in November 2022, refer to the IHRA definition. A departure from this position
would send a signal to the Jewish
community in Germany that the antisemitism it experiences is being played down.
The IHRA definition distinguishes objective criticism of the actions of the Israeli government from
Israel-related antisemitism and lays down criteria by which it can be determined
whether an antisemitic statement or an antisemitic act is present –
demonisation or delegitimisation of Israel or the application of double standards.
The so-called „Jerusalem Declaration“ (JDA) is not a
scholarly definition, but a political declaration. In research it is
not regarded as a definition, but as a positioning by political activists. It
was written as a political response to the IHRA definition – with the aim of relativising Israel-related
antisemitism. Its supporters attempt to discredit the naming of Israel-related
antisemitism as right-wing and racist and accuse the IHRA of restricting
freedom of expression.
