5 minWorld
Dominican Republic adopts international definition of antisemitism
President Luis Abinader ordered the foreign ministry to formalize the IHRA working definition, making the country the 48th worldwide and seventh in Latin America to do so.
The Dominican Republic is set to become the 48th country worldwide and the seventh in Latin America to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism. President Luis Abinader ordered the country’s foreign ministry to formalize the decision during his announcement Monday at the annual Latin American Forum Against Antisemitism in Santo Domingo.
Abinader said antisemitism should not be viewed as a threat affecting only Jewish communities. «Antisemitism is not a problem that concerns only the Jewish people,» he said. «It is a threat to democratic coexistence and to the rights and freedoms of us all.» The president added that rejecting antisemitism does not mean taking a position regarding a particular government or conflict, but rather stating that no political disagreement, cause, or circumstance can justify hatred, discrimination, or violence against an individual or a community.
The announcement comes amid heightened concern over antisemitism worldwide. The Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center monitored and reported 767 antisemitic incidents globally in March 2026, an average of nearly 25 incidents per day and a 32.5% increase compared with March 2025.
Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, praised the decision as a «historic moment» and called on other Latin American governments to follow the Dominican Republic’s lead. «What you have witnessed tonight is a government standing up for what is right,» he said. «There cannot be any compromise with antisemitism. We will lead by example, and we will take positive steps to protect every Jewish community.»
Kaploun pointed to the Trump administration’s efforts in the United States as a framework other governments could use to confront antisemitism within their own institutions. «In America, we have our marching orders,» he said. «We are holding universities accountable. We are prosecuting hate crimes. We have changed our visa vetting programs. We have withdrawn from major U.N. bodies that have promoted terrorism and antisemitism.»
The IHRA describes antisemitism as «a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.» The non-legally binding definition and its accompanying examples are intended to help governments, law enforcement agencies, universities, and other institutions identify contemporary manifestations of antisemitism and respond to incidents more consistently. The examples address conduct including Holocaust denial, conspiracy theories about Jewish power, holding Jewish people collectively responsible for Israel’s actions, and applying standards to Israel that are not demanded of other democratic nations.
As of the end of 2025, 1,334 governments, public institutions, universities, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and sports organizations worldwide had adopted or endorsed the IHRA definition, according to data compiled by the Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center.
Abinader said the definition would provide the country with a framework for identifying and combating different forms of antisemitism while respecting freedom of expression and other rights protected by the Dominican Constitution. «Through this decision, the Dominican Republic reaffirms its commitment to the memory of the Holocaust, to the protection of Jewish communities and to the eradication of antisemitism in all its forms,» he said. «Human dignity is indivisible and its defense admits no exceptions.»
The president connected the decision to the Dominican Republic’s history of offering refuge to Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. Following the 1938 Évian Conference, hundreds of Jewish refugees established a community in Sosúa, where they were able to rebuild their lives. Abinader also announced that his government would commit 50 million Dominican pesos toward constructing a new building for the Jewish Museum of Sosúa to preserve that history.
Once the Foreign Ministry formalizes the decision, the Dominican Republic will join Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and Uruguay as the Latin American countries that have embraced the IHRA framework. The decision adds to growing regional acceptance of the definition and could set a precedent for additional Latin American governments considering how to formally identify and address antisemitism.
