Who Wrote the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-Semitism?

A recent NY Times Article, titled “What Zoom Does to Campus Conflicts Over Israel and Free Speech,” contained a common but glaring error. The article described  Kenneth S. Stern, director of the Center for the Study of Hate at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., as “the man who wrote the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] working definition of anti-Semitism invoked in Mr. Trump’s executive order.” Stern’s relationship to the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-Semitism is now so widespread that three of the Working Definition’s distinguished co-authors, Rabbi Andrew Baker, Deidre Berger, and Michael Whine, recently penned an open letter rebutting the fallacy of Stern’s authorship.

Specifically,  these co-authors charged that “Kenneth Stern… has since identified himself—or is described by others–as the ‘author’ or ‘primary drafter’ of the Working Definition. This is simply not true.” The letter acknowledged that Mr. Stern occupied “the vitally important but limited role of being the communications hub as various drafts and proposed language were circulated, slowly moving toward a consensus agreement where his role ended.” As these authors observe, this role is different than authorship.

They emphasize the urgency of publicizing this distortion of fact and correcting the exaggerated description of Stern’s role, because Stern’s supposed co-authorship is so frequently touted by those who wish to give undue weight to his controversial opinions about the definition. They explain that “most troubling is the fact that this mythical elevated status is primarily touted because he is a vocal critic of using the Working Definition and thus a helpful (witting or unwitting) ally for those who today seek to discredit the IHRA Working Definition. Virtually all others who were involved in its development believed then and continue to believe now that the adoption and use of the Working Definition is an essential component in the fight against antisemitism.”