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The U.S. Should Adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Definition of Anti-Semitism

(Times of Israel) Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) - Four years ago, we in Congress launched the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism as a forum for understanding the threats against Jews at home and abroad and developing legislative ways to address them. The French National Assembly recently voted to adopt an internationally-recognized definition of anti-Semitism established in 2016 by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), an organization made up of 34 member countries, including the U.S. Since 2016, over a dozen countries have adopted or endorsed the definition, as has the European Parliament. Opponents of this definition argue that it would encroach on Americans' right to freedom of speech. But this definition was drafted not to regulate free speech or punish people for expressing their beliefs, however hateful they may be. This definition can serve as an important tool to guide our government's response to anti-Semitism. The definition is already used by the Departments of State and Education. It is time for Congress to adopt the IHRA definition in the U.S. to lay the groundwork for a whole-of-government strategy to combat anti-Semitism. It's time for our federal government to lead by example and use the IHRA definition as a guide for protecting the American Jewish community.
2019-12-11 00:00:00
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