The IHRA working definition of antisemitism is an important foundation in the fight against hatred of Jews, with a high sensitivity for all its forms of expression. This makes it indispensable for developing concrete strategies to safeguard Jewish life in Germany. Our board states:
„Antisemitism cannot be combated without naming it clearly. A departure from the commitment of the Bundestag and the German federal government to the IHRA working definition to date would send a signal to the Jewish community in Germany that the antisemitism it experiences is being played down. At a time of great pressure to act, this would hinder the urgently needed containment of antisemitism through concrete measures built upon it“
Since the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023 at the latest, and the enormous rise in antisemitic assaults and criminal offences across the country that followed, Israel-related antisemitism can no longer be denied. Accordingly, in this situation of societal threat to Jewish life, there is frequent discussion of ways of combating antisemitism. This also includes the important question of how the term is delimited: what is antisemitic and what is not? With the working definition of antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) there exists for this purpose a scientifically grounded and reliable guide for identifying antisemitism, as well as for objectively distinguishing legitimate debate about the actions of the Israeli government, a guide which is also officially recognised as authoritative by the German federal government by means of the coalition agreement of the traffic-light government and the National Strategy against Antisemitism and for Jewish Life (NASAS). Against this is directed the so-called „Jerusalem Declaration“ (JDA) as an explicit political counter-proposal and thereby in practice plays down the momentous antisemitism of patterns of argument hostile to Israel.
Our attached position paper contains an account of the specific character and the advantages of the IHRA definition of antisemitism in theoretical and practical application and refutes the politically motivated and tendentious attempt to delegitimise it through the JDA.
Our position paper Defining Antisemitism can be found here for download.
Contact for questions: Anna Staroselski / spokeswoman of the association kontakt@werteinitiative.de / Tel: 030 / 234 580 20
About the association WerteInitiative – jüdisch-deutsche Positionen e.V.: since 2014 the WerteInitiative has established itself as a civil-society Jewish voice in Germany. We set out to secure the future of Jewish life in Germany. We therefore work to strengthen the values of the free democratic basic order from a Jewish perspective. We do this by promoting values-based political, social and media discourse, civic Jewish engagement in Germany and the German-Israeli relationship. For further information we invite you to visit our website: https://werteinitiative.de/
