A success in the campaign against the IHRA definition in the US
JVL Introduction
On 8th February the Jewish News Syndicate reported sadly that the American Bar Association, a law-school accreditor, had “voted to pass on the IHRA definition”.
This was in response to a massive campaign against adoption of the definition organised by the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for Peace Now, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Foundation for Middle East Peace, and Palestine Legal, along with 37 other organisations.
Their arguments – that the IHRA definition has been continually instrumentalized to delegitimize critics and criticism of Israel and its policies, as well as suppress voices and activism in support for Palestinian rights – clearly found favour.
Concerns that the adoption of the IHRA definition by the ABA would undermine fundamental rights of free speech, freedom of assembly and protest, and academic freedom prevailed.
This article was originally published by National Lawyers Guild on Mon 30 Jan 2023. Read the original here.
National Lawyers Guild Issues letter to co-sponsors of ABA Resolution 514 on Antisemitism
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We should bombard Keir Starmer with copies of this article.
‘Rah, ‘rah, ‘rah.
See Sqwaukbox
Can JVL please contact BBC and answer the basic point that the Jewish Community who support JC or are anti Zionist are a tiny minority, so they never again fail to challenge the AS Scammers
Challenge Smeeth to come on Newsnight and debate the AS Scam and the Apartheid Jewish State
Just as i bang on about giving those who are responsible for the AS Scam a name, you have to also set in stone the facts and the numbers
P.S. Round them up
Doug I can assure you that JVL is contacting the BBC asking for right of reply….we were interviews on the Wednesday morning on Radio Scotland but that was before the attacks on us….we will keep trying.
That is a terrific list of signatories to a very good letter.
In Britain the first organised opposition to the adoption of the IHRA Definition was sponsored by Jews for Justice for Palestinians, PSC, Jewish Voice for Labour and Independent Jewish Voices. We jointly paid for counsel’s opinion which was duly delivered by Hugh Tomlinson KC (yes, he of Hacked Off and Rebecca Vardi fame, among many others!) who produced a brilliant, excoriating dismantling of a document the inadequacy of whose politics is only exceeded by the poverty and incompetence of its English language.
When we received the opinion, we thought ‘job done!’ We sent it out to all those organisations we expected to be put under pressure to sign up to the Definition, certain in our belief that no university or local authority or, or, or. . . would even contemplate adopting such an illiterate and repressive set of standards. We couldn’t have been more wrong, as local council after local council, uni after uni, fell into line – which was a good lesson in learning that poor quality and incompetence are no guarantee of rejection. Important for those of us who live in the realm of rationality, justice, human rights etc.
So kudos to those 40 organisation for this terrific success, and to the American Bar Association for hanging on to its intellectual and professional integrity.
Most impressive . The IHRA definition is both spurious and disingenuous and is used primarily to silence criticism of Israel despite its cruel and abusive treatment of the Palestinians . Well done to all involved in this momentous action.
Antisemitism is really very simple to describe, in its conventionally accepted form. It is prejudice against Jews just for being Jewish. It is racialism.
A broader definition could be prejudice against people of Semitic decent, in which case Israelis are the ultimate antisemites, being prejudiced against Palestinians. Racialism is just very, very sick, whoever practices it.
Excellent article. Bravo to the ABA for taking a strong stand against the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
In Canada, and in particular Ontario, proponents of the IHRA are effectively lobbying the Ontario provincial government, opposition political parties, municipal governments and school boards to embrace the IHRA definition.
The Zionist lobby is extremely strong in Ontario. Suggestions and ideas as to how to reverse this attack on free speech and academic freedom would be welcolm.
Thank you Malcolm. One thing I would recommend is to support the work of IJV Canada which has done and continues to do a lot fo work challenging the IHRA and much more in support of Palestinians and education on antisemitism.
Good news, indeed. Now, watch the accusations of anti-Semitism fall, in number.
Sadly, there is no mention of The JDA. It would be helpful if the ABA made some positive noises about The Declaration, in a comparison with the IHRA.
The sooner that conversation starts, the better. Then the IHRA can start to gather dust on a shelf, where it belongs.
Could it be be that if there has been a rise in anti-semitism it is because the Israeli lobby claims to represent all Jews and therefore its actions are representative of all Jews? Israel is not just an apartheid State, it is a violently apartheid State intent on social cleansing and completing the Nakba. Violence begets violence.
Concerning Ruth Smeeths comments (see
video clip from Skwawkie ) ..
These make no sense – for she is more or less
saying that if you are a minority it is lawful
to persecute you! It is totally against laws
involving freedom of belief surely? For example
Haredi Orthodox Jews are opposed to Zionism
as part of their Jewish faith.
I think the BBC owe it to the Jewish Community to
present a program which presents the other side.
They are very good at this when they’ve a mind to
– a good example being the documentary about the
Murdochs.
Naomi Wayne makes a key point when she says ‘poor quality and incompetence are no guarantee of rejection’ She could have added ‘ blatant falsehoods and demonstrable factual errors.’ How to combat these is the problem and the National Lawyers Guild letter illustrates what we should be doing much more in Britain not only in relation to the IHRA so-called definition but by challenging baseless claims of antisemitism against those who merely seek to expose and criticise the violation of human rights by a nation state. JVL is doing its best but UK organisations like those who signed the Lawyers Guild letter must also be encouraged add their weight .