JUDAISM IN THE COMMONWEALTH
readers will be familiar with the working definition of anti-Semitism devised by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). It has become widely known as ‘the IHRA Definition’. Not only have about thirty countries and governments adopted it as their working definition, a host of municipalities, universities, political parties, trade unions and even the Football Association and the Premiership in the UK have done the same. More and more countries and organisations have recognised its value. Though it is not in itself a legislative tool, it does help in the recognition and pursuit of anti-Semitism when it manifests itself. Obviously, Jews have an interest in combatting anti-Semitism, but we hope we are not alone in this. One of the virtues of the IHRA definition is that it was not devised by Jews. IHRA is an alliance of governments, civil servants and academics and so one can be confident that the definition is robust and not self-seeking. Producing similar definitions of other kinds of discrimination would have much value, but, if one wanted to do it effectively, each would have to be done by disinterested parties. For example, by such a rule, a definition of sex discrimination should not be written exclusively by women or predominantly by activist feminists. As for anti-Semitism, sadly all the evidence is that it can often thrive more effectively where people cannot double-check what they read on the web against their local reality. If you have Jewish friends and neighbours, then you might be more immune to nonsense told about Jews than if you do not. With or without
70 | The Parliamentarian | 2021: Issue One | 100 years of publishing
Jews locally, anti-Semitism is in the air and growing. And Holocaust awareness appears not to be enough to challenge it. So, it is no surprise that we in the Commonwealth Jewish Council believe that all governments, especially those with small or no Jewish communities at all, should adopt this definition and thus have a tool whereby anti-Semitism can be confronted. And while this would be good for the Jews, we are convinced that it would be good for the world too. Anti-Semitism has sometimes been called ‘the longest hatred’ and it is resilient and adaptable. It used to be based on religious differences. Then it was based on economic accusations, then it became racially biased. Now often it seems to be political accusations that justify anti-Semitism. That is why Holocaust education or existing assertions against anti-Semitism are not enough. An anti-Semite might say, ‘Yes, that was terrible, but nowadays, I oppose Jews for these other reasons so it’s different’. Just a glance at its growth around the world will show that it is usually to be found somewhere within every conspiracy theory, every extremism and almost every piece of nonsense peddled by demagogues and autocrats. Historically, and, I would argue still, anti-Semitism is the litmus paper test for the health of a society. If a society acts against antiSemitism, it is almost certainly on the right track more generally. If it tolerates anti-Semitism, it is probably sick at its heart, even if it is not yet evident. So we want to see every country of the Commonwealth adopt the IHRA working definition of anti-Semitism – because you can’t combat something you can’t recognise or define and, as I’ve indicated above, anti-Semitism keeps changing and adapting, a bit like the Coronavirus, so that just when you think you’ve got it beat, it pops up slightly adapted to give more grief. That is the reason why IHRA insists the working definition is not complete without its accompanying examples. Without those it would prove impossible for anyone to stand against the clever mutations anti-Semitism adopts to outwit anti-racists or anti-discriminatory legislation and rules. Overall then, the Commonwealth Jewish Council wants to be a constructive and valuable part of the Commonwealth family. We are determined to engage with issues far beyond the boundaries of Jewish direct concerns or interests, for example, with our climate change campaign or our founding of the Inter-religious Commonwealth Youth Alliance. At the same time, we seek the support of others to act with us as allies in keeping Jews safe and protected from the harm that others seek to do us. We support Jews by ensuring that our communities are robust, well networked and well informed, but at the same time we challenge them to up their game, both internally, in terms of the quality of Jewish life they facilitate but also the contribution they make to the wider societies in which they live. For a more complete insight into the principles by which we operate, please visit our website www.cjc.org.uk and our publication there ‘Shared Values: Common Causes’. In it, we examine the Commonwealth’s principles and match them to Jewish values and the Commonwealth Jewish Council’s motivations. The fit is gratifyingly close.
