Part of an exhibit on the Holocaust supported by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association. Photo: courtesy of IHRA.

The world’s leading definition of antisemitism was adopted by 78 governmental and nonprofit organizations during the first six months of 2023, according to a new report by Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Antisemitism Research Center, a nonprofit organization that tracks antisemitic incidents across the world.

First adopted in 2005 by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism states that “antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews,” and includes a list of illustrative examples ranging from Holocaust denial to the rejection of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination. The definition is used by hundreds of governing institutions, including the US State Department, European Union, and the United Nations and is supported by lawmakers across the political spectrum.

With this year’s additions to the list, CAM said, the IHRA definition is now used by 1,192 entities, a number “illustrating the widespread acceptance and utilization of this definition.” North Dakota and Arkansas are the latest US states to adopt it, and Virginia did so in February at the recommendation of a state commission created by Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) to study antisemitism in the state.

Others that joined the list include the Latin American Parliament, Westchester County in New York State, the City Council of Kansas, Missouri, and the Province of Jujuy in Argentina. Many universities did as well, with University of Melbourne in Australia, University of Split in Croatia, and Catholic University of Santa María la Antigua in Panama being named in the report.

In 2023, nonprofit organizations have called on social media and gaming companies to embrace the IHRA definition, citing the proliferation of antisemitic content on their platforms.

In March, the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) released a “Digital Terrorism and Hate Report Card,” which indicated that platforms TikTok and Twitter, as well as others, had significant problems addressing and moderating their content. Facebook, which also owns and administers Instagram, earned a C, while TikTok and Twitter were given a D and D-. Google and Reddit received the highest grades of all platforms assessed by SWC, earning and B and B-. The group alleged that TikTok, one of the fastest growing and most controversial social media platforms in the world, does not actively monitor or remove antisemitic content.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.