IHRA Chair Urges All Central American Nations to Adopt International Antisemitism Definition

Ambassador Chris J. Lazaris — Chair of the Greek Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) — addressed the Central America Forum for Israel last week, and urged the nations of the region to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism to help combat rising Jew-hatred worldwide.

“One of the best ways to fight antisemitism is to use IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism,” Ambassador Lazaris said. “One cannot effectively fight antisemitism if one cannot define it.”

The IHRA definition, Ambassador Lazaris pointed out, had become the global “gold standard,” and was used for monitoring, training, and awareness-raising purposes.

“As this conference is dedicated to Central America, it is important to note that the Congress of Guatemala accepted this definition in January 2021,” he said. “Argentina and Uruguay have also done so from the Latin America region. I would encourage other countries to follow their lead.”

Watch Ambassador Lazaris’s speech here:

The Central America Forum for Israel — hosted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and Center for Jewish Impact, in partnership with the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, the Guatemala-Israel Friendship League, and the Jewish Community of Guatemala — brought together top regional leaders, including Guatemalan President Dr. Alejandro Giammattei, to reject Jew-hatred and unite in a powerful show of support for the State of Israel.

The full event can be viewed here: