Resources

An exploration of the politics of definitions from an interdisciplinary perspective that urges reconsideration of the value and limits of definitions in confronting antisemitism and Islamophobia.

White Christian nationalists and a broader authoritarian movement are mounting a visionary, well-resourced, and strategically coordinated effort to ensure white Christians maintain their ongoing dominance in all sectors of U.S. society, including government, culture, media, entertainment, family, religion, and business. This report is part of a growing pro-democracy effort seeking to sound the alarm and support immediate collective action.

Peter Beinart asserts that antisemitism has been wielded as a weapon against the world’s most respected human rights organizations and a shield for some of the world’s most repressive regimes, arguing for a different struggle against antisemitism that embeds the cause of Jewish rights in a movement for the human rights of all.

Scholars Elissa Bemporad, Alon Confino, and Derek Penslar introduce the Jerusalem Declaration of Independence as a guide for combatting antisemitism and, simultaneously, protecting space for an open debate around all possibilities for the future for Israelis and Palestinians.

Kenneth Stern, the lead drafter of the IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism, expresses concerns over its weaponization by right-wing Jews to suppress legitimate criticism of Israel and their policies. He raises the need for a balanced approach that addresses both antisemitism and the rights of Palestinians without allowing the definition to be misused for political agendas.

Differing interpretations of the IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism lead to disagreements within the Jewish community surrounding free speech, the criticism of Israel, and the consideration of Palestinian rights.