Image taken from King’s College London website King’s College London recently unanimously adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, becoming one of the first British universities to do so. The decision follows a number of instances of harassment of Jewish students at the university. The IHRA initially adopted the working definition of anti-Semitism in May 2016. The definition states, “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews,” and is accompanied by examples of how anti-Semitism may manifest itself. Several months later, the United Kingdom announced its adoption of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. At the time, prime minister Theresa May explained that clearly defining anti-Semitism would make it easier to recognize and target anti-Semitic incidents. The United Kingdom was one of the first of 31 countries to independently adopt the IHRA definition. Since then, multiple countries have followed suit, including Bulgaria, Germany, and Romania. The IHRA definition is substantially the same as the United States Department of State’s definition of anti-Semitism, which is the subject of both the recently introduced Anti-Semitism Awareness Act and the recent South Carolina legislation. King’s College London has faced disturbing protests at pro-Israel campus events. As reported by The Algemeiner, protestors at KCL disrupted a February 2018 lecture by Dan Meridor, former deputy prime minister and minister of intelligence of Israel. Video footage shows protestors screaming “shame, shame, shame” at people exiting the event, among other chants. In 2016, a violent protest broke up an event with Ami Ayalon, former head of the Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency. Protestors threw furniture, banged on walls, and broke a window. One demonstrator was found guilty of assault. The Jewish News reported that it was largely incidents like these that drove KCL to endorse the IHRA definition. Professor Ed Byrne, the president and principal of KCL, told The Jewish Newsthat, “anti-Semitism is totally unacceptable in our community. For us, we have an absolute commitment for Jewish students not only to feel safe, but to feel welcomed.” The use of a definition of anti-Semitism, a KCL spokesperson told The Algemeiner, would allow the university to better assess and respond to instances of anti-Semitism. Professor Byrne also described his commitment to protecting free speech and peaceful protest and outlined strategies KCL has developed to balance these principles with student safety. Students may still protest, but protests must now take place far enough away so as not to disturb any events. In contrast to KCL, other UK universities have rejected the IHRA definition. In 2017, the University and College Union (UCU) Congress passed a resolution, spearheaded by delegates from four UK universities, to prevent the union from adopting the definition. The IHRA definition was also rejected in March of this year by London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Baroness Valerie Amos, director of the school, commented that the definition was too “contentious.” KCL’s important actions were applauded by many, including former chief rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. Lord Sacks, an emeritus professor at KCL, told The Jewish Newsthat “the steps taken by KCL…to tackle the issues of anti-Semitism on campus, and especially in the adoption of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, are important and welcomed.” A spokesperson for the Union of Jewish Students expressed a similarly positive reaction in a Jewish Chronicle article and outlined the hope that “other universities follow suit.”