States failing to adopt IHRA definition of antisemitism host campuses with more Jew-hate - study

States that failed to adopt and implement the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism have greater levels of antisemitism on campus, according to data analyzed by the Antisemitism Research Center (ARC), part of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), the group announced on Wednesday.

Across the US, campuses experienced an average increase in antisemitic incidents by 585% since October 7, when a Hamas-led brutal incursion into southern Israel took place. Of those, 63% of incidents from last semester came from the campuses of only six colleges, the research found.

On October 7, Hamas invaded Israel’s South, murdered over 1200 people, and abducted more than 250 to Gaza – where over 100 remain in captivity. After Hamas broke the existing ceasefire, Israel launched a campaign in Gaza with the goals of retrieving the hostages and ending Hamas’s control of the enclave.

Of the 6 aforementioned states, none have implemented the IHRA definition, while New York and Massachusetts are among those that have symbolically adopted it.

“Any debate over the importance and necessity of implementing the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism, overwhelmingly endorsed and accepted by the Jewish community, should have been long over,” said CEO of CAM Sacha Roytman Dratwa. “Unfortunately, we are now looking at the direct results of a lack of implementation, and Jews, especially Jewish students on US campuses, are witnessing and feeling the results of this neglect.”

“Our research has shown that when states adopt and implement IHRA, Antisemitism goes down, when they don’t, Antisemitism goes up. The facts speak for themselves, and they should embarrass any decision-maker at the state or federal level who has yet to implement IHRA fully into action. One can not talk about fighting Antisemitism and disregard the only acceptable tool to do so.”

The ARC, alongside the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University, also released a new report showing that just 21 entities across the world adopted or endorsed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism in the first half of 2024, from the beginning of January to the end of June.

A global increase in antisemitism across the globe

While institutions and entities have been hesitant to adopt the framework, antisemitism has significantly inclined globally – with an average international increase of over 200%.

The framework was much more readily adopted in 2023, according to the organizations “Especially at a time of rapidly increasing Antisemitism, the IHRA Definition is a vital tool in the protection of Jews and Jewish communities around the world,” said the Chief of Staff of CAM Arthur Maserjian. “The fact that we are witnessing a decline in adoptions of IHRA globally is a dangerous setback for Jews, and directly impinges on the safety of the Jewish People.”

The 21 new adoptions, in addition to 5 retroactive adoptions, brought the global total of IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism adoptions and endorsements to 1,242 as of June 30, the organizations said. The 1,242 entities include 45 countries (including 25 out of 27 EU member states), 533 nonfederal government entities, 347 educational institutions, 258 public organizations, and 58 private organizations.

Adding to the list of concerns, the organizations warned that there were worries that not all the institutions that adopted the IHRA definition were implementing it into meaningful practice. Without proactive measures to incorporate the definition into antidiscrimination policies, educational curricula, and legal frameworks, its potential to combat antisemitism effectively is severely limited, they warned.

“The reluctance to implement the IHRA definition, coupled with fewer new adoptions, suggests a lack of commitment from some decision-makers to confront the growing threat of Jew-hatred,” Maserjian continued. “Furthermore, legal systems must be equipped to prosecute antisemitic crimes based on the IHRA definition, providing a clear deterrent against hate crimes.”

“The fight against antisemitism requires more than symbolic gestures; it demands concrete actions. Jews are being threatened globally and frequently feel they are not being adequately protected.”