working definition of anti-Semitism

We Should Not Replace the Working Definition of Anti-Semitism

For more than a decade, government and non-profit professionals tasked with combating anti-Semitism have championed the widespread recognition of a document called the Working Definition of Antisemitism. Just in the last few weeks, however, two alternative definitions have been released. The first, by the Nexus Task Force out of the University of Southern California/Annenberg Knight Program, aspires to update, but not totally replace, the Working Definition to make it “more relevant.” It runs about 750 words (slightly longer than the Working Definition). It begins with a brief introduction/definition and focuses almost exclusively on the issue of the intersection between anti-Semitism and Israel. It provides nine examples of what types of speech or contact are anti-Semitic and four examples of what types are not. The second, the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, claims to “respond” and serve as “an...

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Will the Holocaust Museum in Budapest Be Forced to Collaborate With Known Holocaust Distorters? anti-semitism in the Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidez party

Will the Holocaust Museum in Budapest Be Forced to Collaborate With Known Holocaust Distorters?

In September, the Hungarian publication Népszava reported that the sole institution in Hungary that is dedicated to preserving the record of the Hungarian Holocaust, the Páva Street Holocaust Memorial Center, may be coerced to collaborate with three other Hungarian research institutes. These three institutes, which are controlled by the government, have engaged in Holocaust distortion and/or employed anti-Semites.

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How Far Have We Fallen if Left-Wing Groups Are Calling to Boycott the ADL?

Moment’s Anti-Semitism Monitor saw something new in August: over 100 left-wing groups in the U.S. made a disturbing call to boycott the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Like any NGO, the ADL has its critics, but until very recently, few would have disputed the organization’s commitment to fighting for civil rights and against all manifestations of bigotry. But in early August, a coalition of leftist NGOs, including the American Friends Service Committee, Democratic Socialists of America, Jewish Voice for Peace, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Movement for Black Lives, instituted a campaign called “Drop the ADL” to boycott the Anti-Defamation League and its programs. The coalition issued a primer titled “The ADL is not an Ally” to justify the boycott. Unfortunately, it reads like the anti-Zionist agitprop the Soviet leadership...

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Anti-Semitic Tropes, Abroad and at Home

In July, we documented incidents in 16 different countries to add to the Anti-Semitism Monitor database. However, for the July roundup column, we are focusing on two particular regions of the world and two very different types of anti-Semitism. In Eastern Europe, authoritarian, right-wing leaders spin anti-Semitic conspiracy plots to appeal to the most xenophobic portions of their voting populations. In the United States, misguided luminaries supporting racial justice use their social media megaphones to employ similar anti-Semitic concepts. Europe In Eastern Europe, the two governments most brazenly trying to undermine the rule of law are Poland and Hungary. In July, ultra-nationalist, ruling parties in both countries employed prejudice against minorities for political gain.  Poland held a two-round presidential election in June and July, and President Andrzej Duda's Law and Justice party (PiS) played the anti-LGBT and anti-Semitism...

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Right-Wing Anti-Semitism Takes Center Stage in Recent Incidents

There are two important, but seemingly contradictory, takeaways from this laundry list of anti-Semitic incidents from May of 2020. First, we are experiencing a resurgence of extreme right anti-Semitic rhetoric in the United States. Second, don’t let anyone tell you that the danger from anti-Semitism in the United States (or most other countries) comes largely from the racist, xenophobic or white supremacist right. This past month the right-wing version of anti-Semitism was most ubiquitous. Next month it may very well be another manifestation of anti-Semitism that dominates the headlines. This disease shapeshifts over time and place, maximizing the damage it can inflict.

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