A definition of antisemitism was pulled off Richmond city council’s committee meeting at the last minute to be “reworked.”
Coun. Alexa Loo told the News she put the definition, created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), onto Monday’s agenda as a framework to start building policies of antiracism in Richmond.
But, she added, she decided to withdraw the motion in order to have a broader discussion about anti-racism policies, encompassing antisemitism as well.
After receiving feedback on the IHRA definition of antisemitism, she wants to see it “reworked” so that it is palatable to a broader spectrum so that everyone is on board.
“Sometimes, well-intentioned motions don’t come across as such,” she said.
Loo added she didn’t want the motion to be “diluted” at the committee level and just become a “make-work project” for city staff.
Instead, she’s going to bring it back so it addresses various concerns about anti-racism in Richmond.
Any definition of anti-racism needs to decouple criticism of someone’s country of origin from them as people, Loo said.
The definition of antisemitism reads: “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, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Richmondite Michael Sachs, who is Jewish, said he was “disheartened” when the motion was “inexplicably removed” from the agenda.
Sachs said he felt the issue was “timely, important and relevant,” and cited rising antisemitism, for example, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes, a well-known Holocaust denier.
The definition has been adopted by the federal and provincial governments and was recently adopted by Vancouver city council.
However, there has been criticism of the definition including from Independent Jewish Voices, which states on its website “We believe that the fight against antisemitism is undermined when principled opposition to unjust Israeli government policies and practices – including those that contravene international law – are branded as antisemitic.”
However, the IHRA definition of antisemitism specifically states that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”
Sachs notes that, according to Statistics Canada, in 2021, “Canada’s Jewish community was the most frequently targeted minority group when it came to police-reported hate crimes – crimes that included assault, harassment, intimidation and vandalism.”
In 2021, out of a total of 613 hate crimes in Canada, there were 306 against Jewish people reported to police, while there were 182 against Muslims and 51 against Catholics.
“The result is that Jewish communities around the world are now on edge, and looking to allies for support and reassurance that they do not tolerate this form of hatred and are ready to take a stand,” Sachs said in a letter to the News.
