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February 16, 2023

Updating the Definition of Anti-Semitism Favored by Jewish Activists

IHRA is not beyond criticism, even if its opponents tend to argue in bad faith.

First formulated in 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of anti-Semitism—really a list of guidelines for determining what is and isn’t anti-Semitic—has become a useful tool in defending Jews from their detractors in the West. It has also been the target of much specious criticism, especially from those who wish to disseminate calumnies against Israel with impunity. But, argues Ben Cohen, the bad faith of the definition’s opponents doesn’t mean it is perfect. He suggests some improvements:

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February 16, 2023

  1. The Anti-Semitic Myth behind the Palestinian Catastrophe

    Originally, the Nakba had little to do with Palestinian refugees.

  2. Israel and Jordan Should Cooperate to Stop Syria’s Deadly Drug Trade

    Captagon is a Middle Eastern problem with a regional solution.

  3. Updating the Definition of Anti-Semitism Favored by Jewish Activists

    IHRA is not beyond criticism, even if its opponents tend to argue in bad faith.

  4. Remembering the Jew Who Disguised Himself as a Member of the Hitler Youth to Survive the Holocaust

    Solomon Perel.

  5. How Jews Writing in Yiddish, Hebrew, and German Discovered Their “Primitive” Brethren

    A far cry from the “bland exoticism” of the New York Times.