The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum strongly condemns a report issued by Amnesty International UK on February 1. The report, which questions Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, denies Israel’s right to defend itself against the military threats that have ensued since its founding in 1948, pursuant to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181. We support Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself, like every other nation state.

Since 2016, the United States, as one of 31 member nations of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), has accepted the IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism, which provides detailed examples including denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, such as claiming that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavor.

We question Amnesty’s motivation for issuing their report at this time, given that we are witnessing an alarming increase in antisemitism and we fear it will lead to a surge of attacks against Jews. We encourage everyone to confront and to speak out against antisemitism abroad and in their communities.

The mission of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. To learn more about the IHRA’s working definition, visit the Museum’s Tool Kit for Confronting Antisemitism.

– Mary Pat Higgins, Museum President and CEO
– Mark Zilbermann, Board Chair