Recognize antisemitism problem and adopt IHRA definition

RESOLUTION NO. 2022- _____ A RESOLUTION OF THE VILLAGE OF PINECREST, FLORIDA, RECOGNIZING THE GROWING PROBLEM OF ANTISEMITISM IN AMERICA AND ADOPTING THE INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE ALLIANCE WORKING DEFINITION OF ANTISEMITISM AS AN IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL TOOL TO ADDRESS IT; PROVIDING FOR IMPLEMENTATION; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, Antisemitism, including harassment on the basis of actual or perceived Jewish origin, ancestry, ethnicity, identity, affiliation, or faith, remains a persistent, pervasive, and disturbing problem in American society; and WHEREAS, the Jewish community continues to be a targeted minority in the United States and is consistently the most likely of all religious groups to be victimized by incidents of hate, and such incidents are increasing at an alarming rate; and WHEREAS, the deadliest attack against the American Jewish community took place on October 27, 2018, at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing eleven worshippers and injuring several more; and WHEREAS, state officials and institutions have a responsibility to protect citizens from acts of hate and bigotry, including Antisemitism, and must be given the tools to do so; and WHEREAS, valid monitoring, informed analysis and investigation, and effective policy-making all benefit from accurate and uniform definitions; and WHEREAS, in May 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (the “IHRA”), by consensus vote of its member states, including the United States, adopted a working definition of Antisemitism, which has become the internationally recognized, authoritative definition for use by governments and international organizations; and 2 WHEREAS, the IHRA’s working definition of Antisemitism is that, “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of Antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, [and] toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities” (the “IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism”); and WHEREAS, the following statement has served as an illustration of Antisemitism to guide the IHRA in its work: “Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as Anti-Semitic. Antisemitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for “why things go wrong.” It is expressed in speech, writing, visual forms and action, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.”; and WHEREAS, contemporary examples of Antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to: 1) Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion; 2) Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as a collective — such as, but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government, or other societal institutions; 3 3) Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews; 4) Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers), or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust); 5) Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust; 6) Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations; 7) Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor; 8) Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation; 9) Using the symbols and images associated with classic Antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis; 10) Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of National Socialist Germany; and 11) Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel. WHEREAS, Anti-Semitic acts are criminal when they are so defined by law (for example, denial of the Holocaust or distribution of Anti-Semitic materials in some countries); and 4 WHEREAS, criminal acts are Anti-Semitic when the targets of attacks, whether they are people or property, such as buildings, schools, places of worship and cemeteries, are selected because they are, or are perceived to be, Jewish or linked to Jews; and WHEREAS, Anti-Semitic discrimination is the denial to Jews of opportunities or services available to others and is illegal in many countries; and WHEREAS, the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism has proven to be an essential tool used to determine contemporary manifestations of Antisemitism; and WHEREAS, in January 2019, the Combating European Antisemitism Act of 2017 was signed into law, which outlines how combating Antisemitism is in the national interest of the United States; and WHEREAS, in the United States, the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism is utilized by various government and law enforcement agencies in monitoring, training, and education, including the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education; and WHEREAS, to ensure that freedom of speech is maintained in the context of discourse about Israel and Palestine, without allowing Antisemitism to permeate any debate, the Village Council wishes to clarify that it is not Anti-Semitic to criticize the government of Israel, without additional evidence to suggest Anti-Semitic intent, and it is not Anti-Semitic to hold the Israeli government to the same standards as other liberal democracies, or to take a particular interest in the Israeli government’s policies or actions, without addition evidence to suggest Anti-Semitic intent. 5

NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF PINECREST, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Recitals. That each of the above-stated recitals are hereby adopted, confirmed, and incorporated herein. Section 2. Adoption. That the Village Council adopts the non-legally binding IHRA working definition of Antisemitism, including the eleven contemporary examples. Section 3. Implementation. That the Village Manager is hereby authorized to take all action necessary to implement this Resolution to ensure that the IHRA working definition of Antisemitism is available as an educational resource for the Village to address Antisemitism and other forms of discrimination. Section 4. Effective Date. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption. PASSED and ADOPTED this day of , 2022. Joseph M. Corradino, Mayor Attest: Priscilla Torres, CMC Village Clerk Approved as to Form and Legal Sufficiency: Mitchell Bierman Village Attorney Motion: Second: Vote: