PRESS RELEASE:
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, took an important step in the fight against global anti-Semitism
PROVIDENCE – Today, Governor Gina Raimondo proclaimed January 27th, 2020 the official Holocaust Remembrance Day in Rhode Island. The proclamation also recognizes the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism – on International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest concentration and death camp during World War II. The definition reads as follows:
“Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, towards Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
In 2016, the U.S. State Department adopted the working definition and currently 34 nations around the world recognize the IHRA definition. This language identifies a growing problem, educates the public and represents the most widely accepted definition of anti-Semitism and its manifestations.
The State of Israel is grateful to the Governor of Rhode Island Gina Raimondo for this important gesture of recognition, for standing with Jewish communities around the world and for proactively combating the rise of global anti-Semitism.
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