World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder welcomed on 8 June the decision of the government of Argentina to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, as announced by the Foreign Ministry a day prior. In his letter to Argentine President Alberto Fernández, thanking him for his government’s decision, Lauder wrote, "I see this decision as yet another important step forward towards making a clear statement that the discrimination of the Jewish people will not be tolerated in your country.
In announcing this decision, the Foreign Ministry underscored its intention of contributing to the fight against antisemitic incidents. The resolution called on all branches of government to use the definition “to contribute to the fight of the Argentine Republic against antisemitism in all its forms, collaborate in the construction of a culture of prevention of hostility and violence to which prejudice and intolerance lead, promote education for plurality and reinforce the task of guaranteeing the fulfillment of the objective of education, memory and investigation of the Holocaust and its lessons for us and future generations.”
#Argentina will adopt @TheIHRA definition of #antisemitism. Identifying antisemitism is an important step in the fight against hatred, and eliminating antisemitism in all its forms. Thank you to @ArgentinaMFA @CancilleriaARG. pic.twitter.com/6hjJeWUX5a
— WJC (@WorldJewishCong) June 9, 2020
WJC Vice President and President of the Delegation of Israelite Associations of Argentina (DAIA) Jorge Knoblovits welcomed the adoption, saying to the AJN News Agency that it was crucial to the battle against antisemitism.
Argentina’s ambassador to Israel, Sergio Daniel Urribarri, said the decision was meant “to continue developing Holocaust remembrance as an official Argentine state policy.”
“Our Minister of Foreign Affairs made it clear in his resolution that its goal is to contribute to the fight against antisemitism in all its forms, collaborate in the building of a culture where hostility and violence have no place, and promote education for pluralism, as well as to encourage the remembrance and research of the Holocaust,” the ambassador added.
The decision was welcomed by the Israeli embassy in Argentina as a “huge step forward in the fight against antisemitism.” Israeli Ambassador to Argentina Galit Ronen praised the decision, saying it was the latest action to bring the two countries together.
The adoption of the definition comes after Argentine President Fernández visited Israel in January as part of the World Holocaust Forum.
In October 2019, DAIA released a report stating that antisemitic incidents had more than doubled in 2018 compared to 2017, and that of the 834 antisemitic incidents in 2018, 71% occurred online.
