Broward County, Florida has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
The Broward County Commission adopted the definition at a meeting on Tuesday, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The move was applauded by the Florida chapter of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA).
In March, the ZOA called on the Commission to pass a measure that would mandate the use of the IHRA definition when investigating whether crimes were hate-motivated. On Tuesday, the Commission passed the motion unanimously.
The state of Florida and many Florida cities, towns and institutions have also adopted the definition.
“This was the right thing to do, as there’s been a global increase in antisemitism and Broward County is home to the largest Jewish population in the state,” Broward Mayor Michael Udine said in a statement. “Defining antisemitism with contemporary examples is an important step in making our communities more aware of the problem and making them safer. I thank the Zionist Organization of America for proposing this initiative.”
Commissioner Steve Geller called the adoption of the definition part of making fighting antisemitism in Broward a “top priority.”
“Jews and Jewish communities are consistently the victims of more hate crimes than any other religious group. With the third largest population of Holocaust survivors in the world, Broward County must make fighting antisemitism a top priority so that our community remains a safe and welcoming place,” he said.
