U.S. Senators Lankford and Rosen Make Bipartisan Call for Wider Adoption of IHRA Antisemitism Definition

Last week, U.S. Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) — co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism — addressed the Central America Forum for Israel, and both called for wider adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism to help fight surging Jew-hatred worldwide.

Senator Lankford urged U.S. governmental bodies to join the growing number of entities across the globe that have adopted the definition since 2016, saying, “We still have a very long way to go, including in our own government, where our State Department has recognized the definition, but we don’t have recognition from other agencies within our own United States government.”

“We’ve seen European football teams actually acknowledge this, but not our own government yet,” he added. “We look forward to seeing that here, and continue being able to have a clear definition of what antisemitism is, so it’ll be very clear when we actually push back against it.”

Watch Senator Lankford’s speech here:

In her remarks, Senator Rosen highlighted the importance of “having the ability to define antisemitism in each of its multiple forms.”

“I applaud Guatemala for its recent recognition of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, which can be an effective educational, reporting, and training tool, and urge other countries in Central America to adopt the definition as well,” she said.

“We must continue working together to combat antisemitism and stand with the State of Israel,” Senator Rosen added.

Watch Senator Rosen’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: