R2021-51 Adopting the International Holocaust Remberance Alliance Working Definition of AntisemitismRESOLUTION 2021-51
A RESOLUTION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF
NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, RECOGNIZING THE GROWING
PROBLEM OF ANTISEMITISM IN AMERICA, ADOPTING THE
INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE ALLIANCE WORKING
DEFINITION OF ANTISEMITISM AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL AND
DENOUNCING HATE CRIMES AGAINST JEWS AND ANTISEMITISM IN
ALL ITS FORMS; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the Village of North Palm Beach seeks to promote an inclusive environment; and
WHEREAS, antisemitism, including harassment on the basis of actual or perceived Jewish origin,
ancestry, ethnicity, identify, affiliation or faith remains a persistent, pervasive and disturbing
problem in American society; and
WHEREAS, Jews continue to be a targeted minority in the United States victimized by incidents
of hate, and such incidents are increasing in 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 worshipers and
injuring several more; and
WHEREAS, Florida has seen a twenty percent increase in antisemitic incidents in 2019, with the
largest increases in Miami -Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties; and
WHEREAS, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) has adopted the
following working definition of antisemitism, which has become the internationally recognized
authoritative definition for use by governments and international organizations:
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; 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 the
following:
• Calling for, aiding or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a racial
ideology or an extremist view of religion;
• 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;
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• 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;
• Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (such as the 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);
• Accusing Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust;
• 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;
• Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the
existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavor;
• Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (such as claims of Jews
killing Jesus) to characterize Israel or Israelis; and
• Holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the State of Israel; and
WHEREAS, criminal acts are antisemitic when the targets of attacks, 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, antisemitic 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 has proven to be an essential tool used to determine
contemporary manifestations of antisemitism; and
WHEREAS, in the United States, the IHRA working definition 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.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE
OF NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, as follows:
Section 1. The foregoing recitals are ratified and are incorporated herein.
Section 2. The Village Council adopts the non -legally binding International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, including the contemporary
examples.
Section 3. The Village Council hereby denounces and declares a zero tolerance for hate crimes
against Jews and antisemitism in all its forms and will ensure that the IHRA working definition of
antisemitism is available to Village departments and agencies responsible for addressing
antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.
Section 4. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption.
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PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 24TH DAY OF JUNE, 2021.
(Village Seal) I
AYOR
ATTEST:
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VILLAG -ettRk
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