Neither Cure nor Prevention, but Sheer Punishment
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 19 February 2020 07:22
- Written by editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2002 ... February 19, 2020
_________________________________________________
Neither Cure nor Prevention, but Sheer Punishment:
The IHRA’s Definition of Anti-Semitism
Michelle Weinroth
Anti-Semitism is a grave matter; its mere utterance conjures unspeakable horrors -- atrocities typically tied to the Holocaust, but also to the longstanding racist persecution of Jews in Europe. Widely known in Western culture, invoked with immeasurable awe, whether in common parlance or academic discourse, anti-Semitism has become a household word and sound definitions of it abound.
So of what use is a new definition, the kind adopted in 2016 by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)? Officially intended for policy makers and other administrative bodies as a tool with which to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism, the definition, of which the veritable purpose is to suppress criticism of Israel, has sparked debate in City councils across Canada, from Vancouver and Calgary to Montreal. In all three city councils, the motion to adopt the IHRA definition was either defeated or shelved.
A primary author of the IHRA definition, Kenneth Stern, has strongly cautioned against its concrete application by political... institutions and underscored its tendency to squelch free speech, particularly on university campuses. Since the publication of his drafted definition, Stern has sought to put the genie back in the bottle. But in vain; the campaign to have it adopted by all manner of institutions and political jurisdictions throughout Europe, the UK, and North America is now in full stride. The Trudeau Liberals have already adopted it in an anti-racism strategy; and a private member’s bill, by Will Bouma, calling for support of the IHRA definition, is now before the Ontario Legislature. Wherever this definition becomes policy, criticism of Israel will be effectively prohibited.