Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday called on the world to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism.
Addressing the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Anti-Semitism, he said that the IHRA definition had become a “widely accepted reference point” in the fight against anti-Semitism, adopted by more than 30 countries.
“As a true democrat and former head of the Israeli parliamentary opposition in the Knesset, I not only support but insist on, the right of any citizen or group to criticize any government on its policies,” he said. “But when criticism of a particular Israeli policy mutates into questioning Israel’s very right to exist—this is not diplomacy; this is demonization and anti-Semitism because Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people.”
In conclusion, he stated: “The path we set today is critical for the future of European Jews and communities, and for the future of Europe as a modern, tolerant society. Jews must be free to live full, open and proud Jewish lives wherever they are. They must be safe.”
The gathering was attended by Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, European Council president Charles Michael, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder and European Jewish Congress president Moshe Kantor, in addition to Holocaust survivors.