In the midst of a political crisis, German deputies adopted by a large majority, Thursday, November 7, a resolution against anti-Semitism after more than a year of debate. Proposed by the parliamentary groups of the SPD (social democrats), the CDU-CSU (conservatives), the FDP (liberals) and the Greens in the wake of the attack committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, this text was originally intended to be a simple message of declarative support for the Jews of Germany. But it quickly got bogged down in debates over the definition of anti-Semitism and the repressive measures proposed to combat it, ultimately missing part of its objective. Scheduled for the summer, then for the first anniversary of October 7, it was finally concluded in time for November 9, the date of the great anti-Semitic pogrom of 1938 known as Kristallnacht.
At the heart of the discussions was the definition of anti-Semitism proposed by the text, considered slippery by part of the academic, cultural and associative world, where there is fear of an obstacle to freedom of expression concerning the State of Israel. The resolution is based on the definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) according to which, among other things, “Anti-Semitism can manifest itself in attacks against the State of Israel when it is perceived as a Jewish community. However, criticizing Israel as one would criticize any other state cannot be considered anti-Semitism..
This definition is the subject of debate on the grounds that it considers criticism of Israel to be anti-Semitism. “Definitions are not ultimate truths, but working instruments”says the rector of the Berlin Scientific College, Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger, who has spoken in various media for a year, particularly after the Land of Berlin undertook to condition its funding on a profession of faith against resurgent anti-Semitism. this same definition. However, in his eyes, this is vague, which makes it “incredibly vulnerable to abuse”. The accusation of anti-Semitism is “a great way to silence and defame political opponents”judges the historian.
“The State cannot be authoritative in this matter”
A group of lawyers and researchers attempted to remedy the shortcomings of the Bundestag resolution by formulating a series of proposals in the newspaper at the end of October Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “The exact definition of anti-Semitism and the situations in which it manifests itself are the subject of ongoing scientific and social reflection; the State cannot be authoritative in this matter”, they emphasize, inviting us to use the IHRA definition as a « orientation » and instead promote financing « of research chairs on the Shoah and studies on the Middle East ».
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