On May 25, 2023, the White House released its “US National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism”
StandWithUs applauds the comprehensive nature of the plan and its “whole-of-society” calls to action, which recognize that effectively combating antisemitism requires the commitment of not only the government but also law enforcement agencies, civic and religious organizations, corporations, and educational institutions. We are pleased that the administration recognizes the preeminence of the IHRA Working Definition in helping to identify and raise awareness about antisemitism. While we maintain our concerns that the reference to alternative definitions could create unnecessary confusion, we are hopeful that the administration’s embrace of the IHRA definition will be evident in the implementation of the overall plan. We are encouraged in this hope by the plan’s expression of unequivocal support for the State of Israel’s legitimacy and its condemnation of antisemitic attacks against the Jewish State.
Read the plan HERE
On May 24, StandWithUs sent the following letter to President Joseph Biden prior to release of the plan:
On assuming office, President Biden noted that antisemitic incidents are at a record high in the United States, calling the situation a “ stain on the soul of America “ . To address the alarming rise of antisemitism, the White House is expected to release a first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism. While we understand that the plan is expected to place primary reliance on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, which is the “gold standard” for identifying antisemitism, we are concerned by rumors ahead of the release that the plan may also reference an “alternative” definition of antisemitism, namely the troublesome Nexus document, which would introduce unnecessary confusion into efforts to combat antisemitism and provide cover to forms of antisemitism that seek to delegitimize or apply double standards to the State of Israel.
Read our letter below .
