[rad-green] Jewish Group Applauds Calgary Councillors for Rejecting Controversial IHRA Antisemitism Re-definition

*https://www.ijvcanada.org/calgary-antisemitism-motion/
<https://www.ijvcanada.org/calgary-antisemitism-motion/>*

*IJV Canada            November 18, 2019Jewish Group Applauds Calgary
Councillors for Rejecting Controversial Antisemitism Re-definition *

Calgary – Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV) applauds Calgary City
Councillors Diane Colley-Urquhart and Jeromy Farkas for amending their
motion on Antisemitism to exclude the controversial  *International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism*
<https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-antisemitism>.

Calgary would have been the second Canadian city to vote on the IHRA
re-definition following its  *adoption*
<https://www.ijvcanada.org/ijv-urges-the-canadian-government-to-reconsider-its-use-of-ihra-definition-of-antisemitism/>
by
the Liberal government as part of its “Anti-racism strategy” in June.
Vancouver City Council voted on the definition early this year, but the
motion *failed
<https://www.ijvcanada.org/vancouver-city-council-rejects-misguided-definition-of-antisemitism/?link_id=7&can_id=654f0306941e607ec4d4e8370a953a19&source=email-tell-calgary-councilors-noihra&email_referrer=email_658983&email_subject=tell-calgary-councilors-noihra>*,
sending it to committee for the development of a comprehensive anti-racism
position.

“This is a major victory for all who oppose antisemitism *and* support
Palestinian human rights,” said Miriam Meir of IJV’s Calgary chapter. “The
IHRA re-definition is being used to shut down legitimate criticism of
Israel, and thankfully, our City Councillors saw that.”

While IJV has enthusiastically supported Calgary’s recognition of
*International
Holocaust Remembrance Day*
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Holocaust_Remembrance_Day> and
engagement in Holocaust education–the centrepieces of the updated motion–it
called on the Council to reject the IHRA re-definition, along with its
accompanying examples. Hundreds of IJV members, supporters and allies in
Calgary and across the country responded to IJV’s request to *email City
Councillors* <https://www.noihra.ca/calgary.html> to amend the motion,
which ultimately proved successful.

IJV’s objections to the IHRA re-definition are detailed in its recent
*report*
<https://www.noihra.ca/uploads/1/2/5/8/125802458/ijv_ihrareport.pdf>, in
which it deconstructs the IHRA definition line by line and warns of the
dangerous consequences of its adoption both for the fight against
antisemitism and the movement for Palestinian human rights.

“The IHRA re-definition is so vague that it provides virtually no help in
deciding if a particular incident is or is not antisemitic,” said Corey
Balsam, IJV National Coordinator. “What’s more, it includes various
so-called ‘illustrative examples of antisemitism’ that fall plainly within
the realm of Charter-protected political speech.”

“Sadly, the IHRA and its supporters are using society’s legitimate concern
about antisemitism to suppress criticism of Israel and support for
Palestinian rights,” Balsam continued. “In doing so, they are actually
undermining the battle against genuine antisemitism, which is on the rise.”

IJV is not alone in speaking out against the adoption of the IHRA
re-definition. It has also been strongly criticized by prominent civil
liberties groups–including the *British Columbia Civil Liberties
Association*
<https://bccla.org/our_work/the-bccla-opposes-the-international-campaign-to-adopt-the-international-holocaust-remembrance-association-ihra-definition-of-antisemitism/>
  and *the American Civil Liberties Union*
<https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-statement-senate-introduction-anti-semitism-awareness-act?redirect=news/aclu-statement-senate-introduction-anti-semitism-awareness-act>–as
well as by more than 40 Jewish organizations, who signed a *2018 open
letter*
<https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/first-ever-40-jewish-groups-worldwide-oppose-equating-antisemitism-with-criticism-of-israel/>.
The Federal NDP has likewise expressed *concern*
<https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/theres-a-debate-over-canadas-new-definition-of-anti-semitism-and-it-might-sound-strangely-familiar>
that
it could “be a threat for people who legitimately denounce grave human
rights abuses by the government of Israel against Palestinians.”

For more information, please see *www.noihra.ca* <http://www.noihra.ca/>.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Corey Balsam, National Coordinator, *[email protected]*, 514-437-2940.

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