Italian Jews welcome adoption of IHRA definition of antisemitism

Jewish leaders in Italy also praised the appointment of expert Prof. Milena Santerini as the government's national coordinator against antisemitism.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Italian and EU flags flutter in the wind at the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome (photo credit: REUTERS)
The Italian and EU flags flutter in the wind at the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Italian Jewish leaders have praised the Italian government for their adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, and for appointing Professor Milena Santerini as national coordinator for the fight against antisemitism, calling the move "encouraging."
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's cabinet opted to approve the move in a meeting last Friday, joining other European countries such as Britain and Germany who over the last two years have done the same, and the EU, which in June held a working-group meeting on combating antisemitism.
The IHRA definition of antisemitism, drafted in 2016, 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 also lists a number of examples, including anti-Israel rhetoric within its definition of antisemitism.
In adopting the definition and appointing Santerini, the Italian government had written "a fundamental page in the fight against anti-Jewish hatred in every form, including the particularly insidious form of those who undermine Israel's legitimacy to exist and defend itself,"  Noemi di Segni, president of UCEI, Italian Jewry’s communal representative body, said in a statement released on Monday.
Santerini is known for her expertise on antisemitism, and has served as a professor in the Education Department of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan for most of her career.  She is known to have specialized particularly in Holocaust education in public schools, and in 2013, won a seat in the Italian Parliament with the centrist Civic Choice party.
US Jewish leaders also praised the decision to appoint her, as well as the adoption of the IHRA defintion of antisemitism.
Arthur Stark, chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said in a joint statement: “We salute Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the Italian government for adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, and for appointing Professor Milena Santerini as national coordinator for the fight against antisemitism.
They continued: "Italy joins a growing list of other countries in Europe and elsewhere which have committed to combating Jew-hatred by adopting this important standard. It is encouraging to see this increasingly urgent issue being met with appropriate action by so many nations, and we hope to see more governments act in the days ahead."