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El Cajon council adopts IHRA working definition of antisemitism after lengthy public hearing
Summary
After nearly three hours of public testimony from Jewish community members, civil-rights groups and pro-Palestinian speakers, the El Cajon City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution that cites the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism while also referencing existing city nondiscrimination policies.
The El Cajon City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution incorporating the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism following more than 30 public speakers and extended council discussion.
City staff presented a redline of a draft resolution and said they had made five substantive edits to the sponsor’s original text to focus the language on local application, reference two existing city nondiscrimination policies and preserve protections for free expression. "We removed references to federal and state entities and streamlined the language to focus on local government and El Cajon issues," staff told the council. The redlined packet included the IHRA working definition wording as the resolution’s working text.
Proponents described concrete incidents and urged adoption. "The IHRA definition provides a clear and standardized framework to identify and combat antisemitism," said Alberto Mansour, the first speaker in the hearing, who urged the council to adopt the resolution. Julie Littman, who cited a family connection to the Tree of Life synagogue massacre, said, "By adopting the IHRA definition, we're sending a clear message that we will not tolerate hatred, no matter what form it takes." ADL regional director Fabienne Parlov told the council the tool is widely used and can guide education and hate-incident monitoring.
Opponents argued the working definition can be used to chill political speech and to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. A representative of Voices for Palestine read a written statement saying, "The IHRA definition conflicts legitimate, informed criticism of a nation state with hatred towards a people," and urged the council to reject the IHRA language in favor of an approach that protects Palestinian advocacy and journalism. An ACLU representative warned that federal litigation has raised First Amendment concerns when similar language was incorporated into campus policies.
Councilmembers discussed both concerns and clarifications from staff that the resolution is advisory and not a code change that would by itself impose criminal penalties or restrict city employees' lawful speech. Mayor Bill Wells also addressed a social-media post alleging the resolution would lead to police arrests and said that claim was false.
After argument and public comment, Mayor Wells moved to adopt the resolution, a motion that was seconded and carried by unanimous vote. The council recessed briefly following the action and will not be changing existing criminal statutes; councilmembers said the action is intended as a nondiscrimination and anti-hate policy statement with local focus.
The resolution directs city staff to use the IHRA working definition as a reference point for education and incident analysis and references the city’s existing nondiscrimination policies. There were no amendments to create new enforcement powers as part of the measure.
The council’s adoption ends the item at the local level; any implementation steps the council directs staff to take would be reported at a future meeting.
