EJC welcomes practical handbook on the IHRA definition of antisemitism

“It is fundamentally important to give governments and security agencies the necessary guidelines to implement the IHRA definition so that it has practical use to physically protect Jewish communities from antisemitism,” Dr. Kantor said.

“We welcome the publication of this guide, at a time when antisemitic conspiracy theories and the targeting of Jews is spreading across our continent.”

The handbook, published by the European Commission in cooperation with IHRA, illustrates good practices in the application of the definition and offers a checklist for its good use across different policy areas, including law enforcement, the judiciary and educational institutions.

“We have drawn attention for many years to the problem of prosecutors and police officers not being able to correctly identify antisemitic incidents. This document finally takes the IHRA definition into the realm of practical application. Each of the examples of the definition is illustrated through real documented antisemitic incidents in Europe, so it is substantially more than mere theory and a clear expression of the lived experience of our communities as they encounter Jew hate.”

The handbook also lists a series of good practices across Europe for the implementation of the definition, such as the Practical Guide to Judaism for law enforcement, published jointly by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) and the EJC’s Security and Crisis Centre (SACC by EJC).