CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis), NUIS(National Union of Israeli Students) and WZO(World Zionist Organization) congratulate the 9 Israeli universities וותכנית המלגות 24 Israeli colleges on the important step of adopting IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of antisemitism.
This move follows the, “Stop The Hate, Adopt IHRA”, conference held on December 18, 2024 at the initiative of NUIS, CAMERA and WZO. The conference emphasized the importance of adopting IHRA’s universal definition, which has already been adopted by 1,266 entities around the world, including countries, educational institutions and organizations within the public and private sectors.
On the International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27, 2025), NUIS, in collaboration with student Israeli student unions,unanimously adopted the IHRA definition and called on academic institutions in Israel to take a similar step. NUIS emphasized that this is with the understanding that the IHRA definition, “provides an agreed and clear framework for recognizing antisemitism in all its forms, from direct expressions of hatred to contemporary phenomena such as the delegitimization of the state of Israel.”
Due to the 340% increase of antisemitism worldwide of since the October 7th massacre, the strengthening of BDS campaigns and attempts to boycott Israeli institutions, the adoption of the IHRA definition is an essential tool for combatting the delegitimization campaign against Israel with attempts of delegitimization. This move reflects a public declaration of recognition of antisemitism in its various forms, including the denial of the right of the State of Israel to exist.
Tom Yohay, Manger CAMERA on Campus Israel, “Israel carrying the torch of the global fight against antisemitism this year as president of IHRA underscores the importance of organizations and bodies, including Israeli academia, to confront the unprecedented amount of antisemitism and BDS efforts that have raised their heads since October 7th.”
Sivan Koren, chairwoman of NUIS(National Union of Israeli Students), said today: “The adoption of the IHRA definition by the ‘Association of University Heads’ and the ‘Israeli Board of Colleges’ is an important step that sets a clear boundary: there is no place for antisemitism in Israeli academia – not in denial, not in camouflage, nor under the guise of political discourse. While students in Israel and around the world are dealing with hostile discourse and ever-expanding exclusion, this decision gives institutions the tools to deal responsibly and clearly with the complex reality.”
Israeli academia, as part of an international academic system based on collaboration, research, and joint funding, will strengthen its position in the international arena by adopting accepted standards such as the IHRA definition. Adopting the definition creates uniformity and trust while maintaining respectful discourse and support for academic freedom and freedom of expression.
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List of names of Israeli universities that have adopted the definition:
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Tel Aviv University
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
University of Haifa
Bar-Ilan University
Ariel University
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
The Open University of Israel
Weizmann Institute of Science
List of names of Israeli colleges that have adopted the definition:
Levinsky-Wingate Academic College
Herzog college
Achva Academic College
Afeka — The Academic College of Engineering in Tel Aviv
Ashkelon Academic College
Jerusalem College of Technology – Lev Academic Center
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design
Western Galilee College
Hadassah Academic College
Holon Institute of Technology
The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
Azrieli College of Engineering Jerusalem
The Kinneret Academic College on the Sea of Galilee
Braude Academic College of Engineering
Sami Shamoon College of Engineering
Sapir Academic College
The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College
Zefat Academic College
Ruppin Academic Center
Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art
The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo
Tel-Hai College
Beit Berl College
