Bellevue Adopts IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism
The Eastside city is only the second on the West Coast to take it on.
But First
Between holidays and adapting to a new job, finding time to write has been a challenge. Rest assured I have a stack of stories on my desk and should be back to regularly scheduled programming after Simchat Torah. If there are typos in this newsletter, it’s because I’m extremely tired.
Some things are happening:
→ Sephardic Seattlelite Doreen Alhadeff will be knighted on Monday in the order of Isabella the Catholic. Alhadeff, who has been active in encouraging Sephardic Jews to take advantage of Spain’s invitation to reclaim citizenship revoked by the Inquisition and expulsion in 1492, will ironically be knighted in the name of the queen who led the Jewish purge.
→ Leftist journal Jewish Currents published an article about the current and future state of Israel studies on the university level, using my article about the UW debacle as a main source. It’s eye-dryingly long but pretty comprehensive. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
→ Speaking of Israel and people who write books, I wish I could make it to this book talk with former Jewish in Seattle writer Pam Mandel and Matthew Teller. Pam, the author of memoir The Same River Twice, will talk with Matthew about his book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A Biography of the Old City on Oct. 21 at Elliott Bay.
Chag sameach!
—Emily
Bellevue Adopts the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism
On Monday night, the City of Bellevue issued a proclamation adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. While the United States is one of 38 countries to hold by this non-legally binding definition of anti-Semitism, Bellevue is one of just two West Coast cities to adopt it on a local level.
After learning about the definition, Bellevue Deputy Mayor Jared Nieuwenhuis enthusiastically led the majority-minority city toward adopting it. “I had not heard about that definition, and as I looked into it more I felt that Bellevue was in the unique position to lead on this issue,” he said. “The fact that we lead with our motto of, ‘diversity is our strength,’ we want everyone to feel welcome in our city.”
The IHRA definition states:
Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.
This rather general statement is followed by 11 clarifying bullet points. Seven of those points relate to the overlap of anti-Semitism with anti-Israel sentiment, including “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” and “Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”
Regional AJC Director Regina Sasson Friedland worked with Bellevue officials to explain the importance of the definition. In a time of growing anti-Semitism, especially in left-wing spaces where it’s harder to identify or call out, Friedland notes that a definition is critical to understanding what the problems are. “How do you know what you’re combating if you can’t define what it is?” she asks. To that end, having a definition will help clarify acts of anti-Semitism for individuals as well as governmental bodies and law enforcement.
The IHRA definition is not without controversy. An alternative definition, the Jerusalem Declaration, critiques the IHRA definition for listing seven elements related to Israel. It goes on to list 10 elements related to Israel — five that constitute anti-Semitism and five that don’t. The latter category includes items like, “Criticizing or opposing Zionism as a form of nationalism, or arguing for a variety of constitutional arrangements for Jews and Palestinians in the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean” and “Boycott, divestment and sanctions are commonplace, non-violent forms of political protest against states. In the Israeli case they are not, in and of themselves, antisemitic.” This definition is advocated by more progressive ends of the spectrum, including Washington state representative Pramila Jayapal.
Friedland worked with Bellevue’s DEI officer, who wanted to make sure that adopting the definition would not run up against issues like free speech.
“One can criticize Israel, the government, leadership, settlements, any of these things,” Friedland says. “That is not conflicting, that is not going to be viewed as anti-Semitic or in any kind of conflict with the IHRA definition.”
The problem, she goes on to say, is that “unfortunately, what we see a lot, is people start with anti-Israel rhetoric and immediately it goes into Jewish issues, which have nothing to do with Israel at all.”
For Nieuwenhuis, learning that some 40 percent of American Jews were found to avoid being identified as Jewish at some point was a factor in taking in action. “I just don’t want that in the city of Bellevue,” he said. It was also personal. “I’m a first-generation American, the son of Dutch immigrants, and I grew up hearing stories from my family about being in the Dutch underground fighting the Nazis,” he says. “This always stuck with me, even today. So this might sound trite, but ‘never again’ is kind of built into my DNA, and I just felt that this IHRA definition was just a great, proactive measure to hopefully prevent any current or future anti-Semitic actions or slurs or violence or what have you.”
More than half of US states have adopted the definition, but out west it’s slower to take hold. Montana has adopted it, and Nieuwenhuis would like to see Washington take it on. “I do hope that by Bellevue taking this action it will spur…other municipalities to adopt this definition as well, and I’d love to see Governor Inslee take this up.”
Community Announcements
Check out the Seattle Jewish community calendar and the virtual calendar.
This week’s parasha is Ha’azinu.
Candlelighting in Seattle is at 6:18 p.m.
Shoutouts
I apologize for not putting out the call for shoutouts this week. I have one holdover from last issue to share:
I’d like to give a big shout-out and mazel tov to Davey Friedman and Sang Hong, who recently launched Friedman-Hong Brothers Construction, a residential remodeling and handyman services business in Seattle. Their friends, families, and clients are so proud of the amazing work they're doing in the community. We wish them a sweet and successful first year in business. You can follow their projects at @friedmanhongbrothers on Instagram. —Gillian Friedman
It is also possible to use the standards of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation (presenting selected information out of context) and avoid getting into a discussion of whether something or someone is anti-Semitic. We can say, for example, that a particular report on the news contained malinformation.