I am concerned, both as a Jew and as an educator, about the ADL’s call for Baltimore schools to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Agency definition of antisemitism as part of their anti-discrimination policies and training (Baltimore schools ignored antisemitism complaints, ADL alleges, July 30, 2025).

The ADL has come under increased criticism for using claims of antisemitism, as defined by the agency, as a smoke screen for furthering a Zionist agenda, whereby any criticism of the state of Israel is conflated with hate speech calling for the destruction of all Jews.

Organizations such as the ACLU, National Lawyers Guild, and Center for Constitutional Rights, as well as the editorial boards of major newspapers, have criticized this definition of antisemitism for being too broad and vague, as well as frequently weaponized to suppress free speech in the name of protecting Jewish safety.

We have already seen how accusations of antisemitism, as defined by IHRA, on college campuses have been weaponized to justify the unconstitutional detainment of students exercising their right to speak out against Israel’s actions in Gaza, actions which many international organizations, including the United Nations and Amnesty International, have called genocide.

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Baltimore City Public Schools already have procedures in place for investigating discrimination and harassment, as well as protections for students and staff against such discrimination.

By all means, the school district should take allegations of antisemitism seriously. Adopting the agency’s definition of antisemitism will not help combat antisemitism in our schools. Instead, the district could adopt the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, and implement training and policies rooted in a framework of collective liberation and respect for all peoples.

Anna Catherine Goldberg is a Baltimore County teacher.

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