US says Europe needs ‘working definition’ of anti-Semitism

The US encouraged European governments to adopt a working definition of anti-Semitism while condemning the conflation of Diaspora Jewry with the State of Israel, during an international forum in Berlin this week.

 

Speaking at the third Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism in Berlin on Tuesday, State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Ira Forman welcomed the European Commission’s recent move to appoint its first coordinator on combating anti-Semitism and called upon individual member states to follow the continental body’s example.

 

Explaining that anti-Semitism is “evolving into new, contemporary forms of hatred, racism, and political, social, and cultural discrimination against Jews,” Forman lamented that “one virulent aspect is… conflating Jewish communities with Israel, using criticism of Israel as a pretext for anti-Semitism.”

 

Read More: US says Europe needs ‘working definition’ of anti-Semitism – Diaspora – Jerusalem Post