antisemitism info

https://www.state.gov/defining-antisemitism/

Contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to:

• Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
• Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.
• Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust
• Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
• Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
• Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
• Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
• Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
• Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
• Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.

Antisemitic acts are criminal when they are so defined by law (for example, denial of the Holocaust or distribution of antisemitic materials in some countries).

Criminal acts are antisemitic when the targets of attacks, whether they are people or property – such as buildings, schools, places of worship and cemeteries – are selected because they are, or are perceived to be, Jewish or linked to Jews.

Antisemitic discrimination is the denial to Jews of opportunities or services available to others and is illegal in many countries.

https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/definition-antisemitism

Every definition of antisemitism identifies and condemns hatred of Jews as well as the prejudice, discrimination, and violence that targets them. Even so, there is no single, agreed upon definition of antisemitism, with various stakeholders offering divergent ways of thinking through the specifics.

In recent years there have been several attempts to clarify the meaning of antisemitism and provide scholars, students, administrators, and others with useful working definitions. 

• In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance adopted the following working definition of antisemitism: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” The US Department of State and the US Commission on Civil Rights use the IHRA definition as a non-legally binding statement about antisemitism. However, it has been challenged by some leading civil and human rights organizations as unduly restrictive of legitimate political speech.
   
• The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism is another tool to identify, confront, and raise awareness about antisemitism as it manifests in countries around the world today. It was developed as a response to the IHRA definition in 2020 in an attempt to better distinguish between hatred of Jews and criticism of the state of Israel. The Jerusalem Declaration was initially signed by 210 scholars in the fields of Holocaust history, Jewish studies, and Middle East studies. It defines antisemitism as “discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews as Jews (or Jewish institutions as Jewish).“
   
• The Nexus Document was produced by The Nexus Task Force, initially hosted by the Knight Program on Media and Religion at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC and now affiliated with the Center for the Study of Hate at Bard College. The Task Force published a White Paper in December 2020 followed by the Nexus Document in February 2021. It offers an approach to understanding antisemitism in relation to Israel and Zionism, specifying that “all claims of antisemitism made by Jews, like all claims of discrimination and oppression in general, should be given serious attention.” It offers this definition: “Antisemitism consists of anti-Jewish beliefs, attitudes, actions or systemic conditions. It includes negative beliefs and feelings about Jews, hostile behavior directed against Jews (because they are Jews), and conditions that discriminate against Jews and significantly impede their ability to participate as equals in political, religious, cultural, economic, or social life.” In 2024, the Nexus Task Force also released a “Campus Guide to Identifying Antisemitism in a Time of Perplexity.”