CAM Applauds Passage of IHRA Working Definition Adoption by Wichita as Best Response to Rising Antisemitism in City

(Saturday, September 17, 2022) — The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has applauded the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism by the City of Wichita, Kansas, after a spate of antisemitic flyers were widely dispersed across the city in recent months.

Mayor of Wichita Brandon Whipple signed a proclamation on Thursday directing education and law enforcement agencies to use the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.

“We applaud the Wichita authorities for this important act that is the best type of response to the antisemitism which the city has witnessed in recent months,” said CEO of CAM Sacha Roytman Dratwa. “For too long the antisemites have set the agenda and hidden behind the lack of a definition of antisemitism, so decisions like these are giving them much less space to spread their hate.”

“We look forward to the day when the IHRA Working Definition is universally adopted, but for now we can see great enthusiasm for it amongst those who want to combat the increase in antisemitism in the U.S. and elsewhere,” he added.

A growing number of U.S. states and cities have adopted or endorsed the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, a welcome trend monitored by the CAM Information Hub. To date a total of 30 U.S. states have done so thus far, according to data compiled by the CAM Information Hub.

According to a study by CAM, over 900 entities around the world have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism since 2016.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement is a global coalition engaging more than 600 partner organizations and 1.7 million people from a diverse array of religious, political, and cultural backgrounds in the common mission of fighting the world’s oldest hatred. CAM acts collaboratively to build a better future, free of bigotry, for Jews and all humanity.