The Massachusetts legislature's Judiciary Committee reviewed a bill to adopt a unique antisemitism definition from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The IHRA definition, created to promote Holocaust education, has faced criticism for criminalizing opposition to genocide. Unlike marginalized groups, Jews in the U.S. typically do not experience systemic racism, thus the definition lacks focus on issues of inequality. Instead, it emphasizes thoughts and speech on Israel, leading to concerns that it serves to suppress criticism of Israeli policies. The IHRA's procedural examples link antisemitism primarily to Zionism-related political debate.
"In July 2025, the Massachusetts legislature's Judiciary Committee heard testimony on a bill to make it the 38th state to follow the federal government, 45 other countries, and more than 50 US local governments in adopting a strange definition of antisemitism."
"The IHRA's definition itself appears relatively straightforward, even if it focuses on thought and speech rather than structures of racism: 'Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.'"
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