GERMANY

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On September 20, 2017, the German Government adopted the IHRA definition at their regular cabinet meeting. Minister of the Interior, Thomas de Maizière, explained its unique significance: "We Germans are particularly vigilant when our country is threatened by an increase in antisemitism. History made clear to us, in the most terrible way, the horrors to which antisemitism can lead." In November 2019, the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) – the association and voice of German universities, which total 96% of students – "emphatically welcome[d]" its adoption in a resolution and recommended the same for all universities. On February 3, 2021, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance was additionally recognized as an “international institution” in Germany, the first-ever usage of their “Host State Law,” which comes with specific benefits and puts the IHRA on equal footing with other organizations. By supporting this definition and welcoming future partnership, the German government is helping keep Jews safe in Germany and around the world.