To effectively fight antisemitism, you first have to know what it is.
The San Diego City Council recognized that fact on March 17 when it voted 8-1 to approve a resolution to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.
With its vote, the council sent a clear, unequivocal message that it understands the threat antisemitism poses not just to Jews, but to all San Diegans.
The IHRA definition states 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, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
It’s simple, compact and, one would think, easy to build a consensus around. Yet the definition was dogged by opponents, many of them staunch anti-Zionists, who spread falsehoods and distortions about what the legally nonbinding definition does and does not do.
Their main argument is that the IHRA definition infringes on free speech by sanctioning criticism of Israel as antisemitic. Nothing is further from the truth. The IHRA explicitly states that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”
At the same time, the IHRA offered several examples of contemporary antisemitism related to Israel, including denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination and applying to Israel “double standards” that are “not expected or demanded of any other nation.”
The IHRA definition also considers antisemitic the practice of drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to the Nazis and holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli government. That still leaves ample room to criticize Israel without devolving into outright Jew hatred or calling for the only Jewish state to be erased from the world map.
But you wouldn’t have known if you had watched the public comments before the council vote. Many of those who spoke in opposition made virulently antisemitic statements and provided clear examples of why the city needs this definition.
The need has never been more dire. The American Jewish Committee’s State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report, released last month, reveals that more than nine in 10 American Jews feel less safe as a Jewish person in the U.S. as a result of three major attacks on American Jews in the last year: the arson attack during Passover on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence; the murders of two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.; and the firebombing of a Boulder, CO, march in support of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
The AJC report found 55% of American Jews changed their behavior in at least one of three ways out of fear of antisemitism in the past 12 months, by avoiding wearing items that would identify them as Jewish, posting content online, or avoiding Jewish spaces, events or situations. Also, 31% of American Jews said they were personally targeted by antisemitism and 71% reported seeing or hearing it online.
This surging hate and resulting insecurity are not restricted to San Diego, but the vote was an example of how our city is taking meaningful action to turn the tide against antisemitism. The definition can help San Diego implement lasting education and training initiatives and serve as a model for other municipalities across the county and state.
The vote was also guided by the tenet that antisemitism is not just a Jewish problem. It’s one we must all solve. After all, the same animus that fuels hate directed at Jews inevitably spreads toward Latinos, Asians, Blacks and other religious groups.
Forging that coalition is why American Jewish Committee San Diego will hold its third annual antisemitism summit on April 19, which is open to the community. Many of the hundreds of participants are not Jewish, but they attend knowing that the harder we fight back against antisemitism, the more every San Diegan can feel safe, secure and proud of who they are.
The summit is an opportunity to learn how to recognize and respond to antisemitism and fight problematic narratives that have proliferated in recent years. The IHRA definition is an important tool to help with that daunting task. Now it’s time for San Diego to use it.
Dr. Sara E. Brown is director of the American Jewish Committee regional office in San Diego.
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