Kansas State House of Representatives Adopts IHRA Antisemitism Definition With Bipartisan and Unanimous Vote

The Kansas State House of Representatives on Wednesday passed — by a bipartisan and unanimous 121-0 vote — a concurrent resolution to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.

The resolution, HCR 5030, will now go to the Kansas State Senate for approval there.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) — through the work of Kansas-based volunteer Marjorie Robinow — and the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee have played an important role in advocating for the resolution and promoting its advancement.

“The state of Kansas adopts the non-legally binding International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism, including the 11 contemporary examples,” the resolution says.

Furthermore, it adds, the Kansas Department of Administration “shall ensure that the IHRA’s Working Definition of Antisemitism is made available as an educational resource for all state agencies.”

In its opening, the resolution refers to the “growing problem of antisemitism in the United States” and calls the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism “an important tool to address the problem.”

Watch a video of the vote here:

CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa stated, “The passage of this resolution in Kansas is highly symbolic, especially considering the murderous shooting that took place at the JCC of Greater Kansas City a number of years ago. That this passed without any opposition speaks volumes about how seriously Kansas is taking the issue of antisemitism.”

“As the resolution itself makes clear, the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism has become the globally-recognized and most authoritative definition used by governments, international organizations, and educational institutions; and we hope that other American states that have not adopted it yet will do so soon, especially with the worrying increase in antisemitism in the U.S.,” he added.

With this resolution, Kansas will become the 20th U.S. state to adopt or endorse the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.

Just last week, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker issued a proclamation endorsing the definition.

One of the most effective steps a state can take — via legislation, resolutions, executive orders, and/or executive proclamations — to fight Jew-hatred is to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism — the most authoritative, comprehensive, and representative tool to delineate all of the contemporary manifestations of antisemitism. More than 800 entities worldwide have recognized it since 2016, establishing it as the most mainstream and commonly-accepted definition of antisemitism.

A CAM Information Hub database of information on IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism adoptions by U.S. states can be accessed here.

Read HCR 5030 in full here and a supplemental note here.