Across the United States, some state legislatures and college campus organizations have pushed to adopt the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-semitism, which equates criticism of Israel with anti-semitism. Palestinians and their allies, including many Jews, are concerned about the harm this definition can cause, including its potential for inhibiting both free speech and the pursuit of justice for Palestinians. The issue came to a head in April 2021, when Butler University cancelled a speech by civil rights icon Angela Davis, who has been a vocal supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Malkah Bird, a community organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace in Indianapolis, will speak about the distinctions between anti-Zionism and anti-semitism and the importance of solidarity in the movement for justice for Palestinians.

About the Speaker: Malkah Bird is a community organizer, teacher, and co-founder of Rising Collective in Indianapolis. Her Jewish Voice for Peace activities include organizing, speaking, and providing training on issues relating to equity and community-building. Malkah’s own activism is inspired by historic Jewish traditions and values for peace, justice, equality, and activism.

Independent Jewish Voices: No IHRA campaign 

Independent Jewish Voices: Principles for Dismantling Antisemitism

Jewish Alternatives to Zionism by Ben Lorber

Butler University LTE: It’s Not a Conflict- against antisemitism and for Palestinian rights 

Butler University LTE: Our identity will not be defined by Zionism 

Dismantle Antisemitism, not Palestinian Rights, Oppose the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism, JVP Action + Palestine Legal

Available here as a pdf download: PL_JVPA IHRA two-Pager (1)