Attacks on the vital International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism are continuing, and today, April 11, the City University of New York (CUNY) Student Senate will vote on a resolution proposed by the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter that offers an alternative definition excluding anti-Zionism.

In a Change.org petition, Jewish students at CUNY condemned the SJP initiative, saying, “Jews should have the right to define what is and is not antisemitic just like other communities have the right to define what constitutes bigotry against them.” 

The petition also urges the Student Senate to approve a pro-IHRA definition resolution, which the SJP resolution was crafted as a reaction to.

This comes amid a broader campaign by critics with political agendas to delegitimize the IHRA definition and undermine its proven effectiveness in the global fight against anti-Semitism. Most notably, these efforts promote the false notions that the BDS movement and the denial of the Jewish right to self-determination are not anti-Semitic. 

Sign the “Abolish Antisemitism at the City University of New York” petition to show your solidarity with Jewish students and urge the Student Senate to adopt the indispensable IHRA definition!

For more information on the IHRA situation at CUNY, visit this website: cunyihra.fyi