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As antisemitism continues to surge worldwide, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism remains the gold standard for identifying and combating contemporary Jew-hatred.
According to a new study by the Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) by CAM and the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University, 34 new entities adopted or endorsed the IHRA definition in 2024, including municipal governments, U.S. states, Brazilian provinces, and public organizations.
With another 14 adoptions from previous years retroactively added in 2024, the global all-time total number of adoptions of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism rose to 1,264.
The full “Strengthening the Fight Against Antisemitism: The IHRA Definition in 2024” report is available HERE.
However, the adoption rate slowed compared to preceding years — 97 new IHRA adoptions and endorsements were recorded in the 2023 IHRA Report and 91 in the 2022 IHRA Report.
Representing a 64.9% decrease in adoptions compared to 2023 and a 62.6% decrease from 2022, the relative slowdown in new IHRA adoptions and endorsements highlights the need for reinvigorated advocacy and policy action.
A new emphasis must be placed on prioritizing enforceable, codified adoptions over symbolic, non-enforceable adoptions. Previous studies, such as the 2024 Mid-Year IHRA Report, had noted the positive development of an increasing focus on impactful IHRA adoptions, and the passage of legislation enshrining IHRA into statute as opposed to merely endorsing the definition via executive proclamations.
The U.S. states of Georgia and North Carolina’s new IHRA adoptions in 2024 — passed legislatively and applying the definition to hate crimes investigations — serve as stellar models for future adoptions, while the actions of South Dakota, South Carolina, and New Hampshire in reinforcing executive actions on IHRA with legislation provide additional positive examples to be emulated.
This week, Georgia took a major step in the ongoing fight against anti-Jewish hate by becoming the 35th U.S. state to adopt @theIHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism!
In adopting this definition, Georgia is ensuring that all forms of contemporary antisemitism are being… pic.twitter.com/CetG6EeL16
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) February 2, 2024
As of the end of 2024, a total of 37 U.S. states had adopted the definition, according to a database compiled by the ARC.
Colleges and universities have remained a challenge in the effort to address the rising tide of antisemitism. With only one IHRA adoption by a higher education institution recorded in 2024, the failure of colleges and universities to meet the moment was laid bare, but 2025 nevertheless presents ample opportunity for progress.
Harvard University’s January 2025 legal settlement with Students Against Antisemitism included the adoption and implementation of the IHRA definition and its 11 contemporary examples, offering a framework for similar action at other institutions.
For more information on CAM’s IHRA antisemitism adoption data, please contact Research and Data Manager Zachary Schildcrout: zachary@combatantisemitism.org
