County in New York Adopts International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Definition to Combat Antisemitism

In a notable step to address growing antisemitism, a county in New York state’s Hudson Valley has formally adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

Putnam County, which lies on the border of New York and Connecticut, adopted the working definition on November 8 after it was unanimously approved by the region’s legislature and approved by County Executive Kevin Byrne on November 15.

“The rise of antisemitism in this country is deeply troubling and demands action,” Byrne stated in a November 21 news statement. “By adopting the IHRA’s definition, we’re taking a strong stance to educate, prevent and combat hate within our community.”

The only intergovernmental organization with a mandate focused on addressing contemporary challenges related to the Holocaust and genocide of the Roma, the IHRA has 35 member countries and eight observer nations. The group, founded in 1998 by former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, adopted the following working definition of antisemitism in 2016: “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.”

The working definition adopted by Putnam County is not legally binding and will serve as a tool and framework for training and educational purposes designed to “recognize and combat anti-Semitic hate crimes or discrimination as well as for tracking and reporting anti-Semitic incidents,” Putnam Legislator Bill Gouldman explained. He added that the county “must stand with our Jewish neighbors to battle antisemitism in all forms.”

The resolution is a “great start in the wake of rising incidents in Putnam,” Putnam County Legislator Nancy Montgomery said, adding: “What are we going to do about this as a county?”

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents have occurred in the U.S. in the year following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. The data marks the highest number of incidents ever recorded in a single year since the ADL—one of the world’s leading anti-hate organizations founded in 1913—began tracking such occurrences in 1979.

Photo credits: Putnam County Route 22 – New York by Doug Kerr via Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0.