King County Backs Down from IHRA Proclamation

The Council was set to adopt the widespread anti-Semitism definition until anti-Zionist activists got involved.

Note: This story is developing.

The Metropolitan King County Council was on track to announce a proclamation adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism on Tuesday, but a protest led by progressive Jews paused the announcement and set many in the mainstream Jewish community on edge.

The definition, which has been adopted by the Biden Administration along with 39 countries, was recently endorsed by Bellevue—the first city in the Northwest to do so. Mill Creek and Tacoma followed suit.

The King County proclamation was set for January 24th, but the plans were thrown off course after activists associated with anti-Zionist organization Jewish Voice for Peace sent out an action alert urging the Council to reject it.

“While we applaud King County Council’s commitment to denouncing antisemitism, we urge the Council to reject the inclusion of the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism in their any future proclamation, as it undermines the fight against antisemitism, threatens First Amendment rights, and directly targets speech and action for Palestinian rights,” the statement read. As of January 26th, the letter had been sent 3,249 times out of a goal of 6,000.

The letter goes on to state that the IHRA definition “does not make the Jewish people safer.” It contends that the definition conflates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism and distracts from “who is actually carrying out violent acts of bigotry: right-wing white supremacists.” It further notes that Jews are already protected from anti-Semitism by law, that the definition has not led to a decrease in anti-Semitic violence in places it’s been adopted, and that no other form of discrimination has a set definition.

According to organizer Diana Dvora Falchuk in an article by Guy Oron in Real Change, the definition “…really draws a line around what is acceptable speech and really threatens our First Amendment rights and democratic commitments.” That idea is supported by University of Washington professor Liora Halperin in a Seattle Times op-ed. Halperin lost a $5 million endowment last year after the donor funding her Israel studies chair pulled her donation over ideological concerns.

“The IHRA’s logic falsely and dangerously conflates informed criticism of the Israeli state, and specifically its policies toward Palestinians, with bigotry against Jews. Adopting the IHRA definition would generate more efforts to shut down informed speech like mine across the country,” Halperin writes.

However, the definition explicitly states that criticism of Israel would not be conflated with anti-Semitism: “Manifestations [of anti-Semitism] might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic. Antisemitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for ‘why things go wrong.’”

“This is not about free speech and chilling campus discourse,” says Rabbi Danny Weiner of Temple De Hirsch Sinai. “This is about Israel’s very existence being triggering for some people and Jews needing to accept someone else’s definition of what anti-Semitism is.”

The IHRA definition includes examples of when anti-Zionism bleeds into anti-Semitism:

• Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.

• 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.

• Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.

• Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.

• Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.

• Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.

American Jews have increasingly witnessed acts of anti-Semitism as an extension of anti-Zionism. During the 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas, Jews experienced a spike in harassment and violence. The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle suffered an active shooter attack that left one dead and five injured in 2006 after a man took his anger at Israel out on a Jewish organization.

The idea for the proclamation was put forward by Councilmember Reagan Dunn. Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, who represents the 2nd, which includes Seattle’s large South End Jewish community, was undecided on his position as of Thursday evening.

“Councilmember Zahilay is interested in listening to all the viewpoints and trying to find the middle ground or the ground that’s going to work for everyone,” says his chief of staff, Rhonda Lewis. Lewis emphasizes that the proclamation is “strictly ceremonial” and has no power to affect change. Not every councilmember has to sign on to a given proclamation, either, she notes.

“What I have heard is there is not a Jewish community; there are Jewish communities, plural,” she says. “[They] are diverse, not monolithic, and there are different viewpoints.”

According to the Seattle branch of AJC, which has been promoting the adoption of the IHRA definition, 15 synagogues from a range of denominations signed on this week in support of the definition. In 2019, the Federation put out a statement on anti-Semitism similar to the IRHA definition. That statement has 47 synagogue and community organization endorsements. The Seattle Times editorial board wrote two pieces encouraging local governments to stand up to anti-Semitism; in both they refer to IHRA as “an internationally recognized definition.”

Among the concerns of progressive activists is the possibility that encouraging adoption of the definition is political in nature. “More and more people active in Jewish life — from rabbis to lay leaders to congregation members; not only anti-Zionists or progressives — are realizing that this is politically, not purely safety motivated,” says Talya Gilman, a progressive Jewish Seattleite. “It’s fueling trepidation in a range of forms: confusion, concern, even distress about the implications of governments adopting this definition.” 

Weiner reiterates that the proclamation has no teeth, but the symbolism is meaningful. He, along with Rabbi Will Berkovitz of JFS and Rabbi Jim Mirel, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple B’nai Torah, sent a letter to the Council in support of the definition. They write:

The line between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Zionist screeds that mask a more obscure antisemitism is not always easy to recognize, especially when it is endorsed by celebrities or those in positions of influence. Passionate civil discourse and constructive debate are hallmarks of a liberal democracy. But when they cross a line into the indicting and disenfranchising of Jews or Jewish institutions simply for supporting the State of Israel as an expression of Jewish identity, such rhetoric is recognized as antisemitic by the vast majority within the Jewish community. 

Seattle AJC director Regina Sassoon Friedland hoped that the new date for the proclamation would move to January 27th, which is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. But as of the night before, no such meeting was on the books, and Lewis received a draft of a new proclamation, drafted by Councilmember Dave Upthegrove. This version does not adopt the IHRA definition and makes no mention of the crossover between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.

It concludes: “NOW, THEREFORE, we, the undersigned members of the Metropolitan King County Council, proclaim our condemnation of antisemitism as allies of our Jewish community. We stand against hate and bias in all forms and urges all residents to support our Jewish neighbors.”

The proclamation is set to be presented by Upthegrove on January 31.

Weiner sees this type of proclamation as watered down and out of step with what the majority of the Jewish community believes. It’s unlikely to conjure much support from the organized community.

“I’m all for compromise when it’s reasonable,” Weiner says. “There’s something galling about this.”

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