Save the Children UK decides not to adopt IHRA antisemitism definition despite review’s advice

Save the Children UK has decided to not adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, despite its recommendation in the independent review commissioned by the charity.Save the Children UK is a respected British charity, established in 1919. It operates across more than 100 countries and territories, with a focus on emergency and disaster relief, child protection, health and nutrition, and education.

More recently, it has taken an avid interest in Gaza and the West Bank, and has also campaigned against the government's licensing of arms sales to Israel.In August 2024, Save the Children UK commissioned a report on anti-Muslim hate and antisemitism in response to feedback from colleagues following internal meetings stemming from the Israel-Palestinian conflict.Among other recommendations, the review called for the charity to "agree on an antisemitism definition that the organization recognizes, and it is suggested this is the IHRA definition."In response, the charity said, "We will carefully consider appropriate definitions for all faith- and race-related hate, including anti-Muslim hate and antisemitism, by December 2025 at the latest."However, George Graham, Director of Global Impact at Save the Children UK, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that a decision was made not to adopt the definition.Why Save the Children chose the Equality Act insteadHe told the Post that the charity "carefully considered different approaches to definitions and how they would work in practice" and also sought input from staff equality networks as part of that process.

Following this consideration, Graham said the Executive Leadership Team decided to use the Equality Act and ACAS guidance on race and religion or belief discrimination instead of the IHRA. "This is a unifying framework to support our work to be an inclusive workplace and provides a clear, inclusive and legally grounded basis for addressing religious and racial discrimination," he added.However, Graham said the charity "agreed" with the review's recommendation that staff avoid Nazi and Holocaust comparisons when discussing the Israel-Hamas War, and use the term "Zionist" carefully.

He also told the Post that Save the Children is "deeply sad and sorry" about the experiences of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred identified through the independent reviews we commissioned in 2024. and remains committed to tackling all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism. UK envoy calls decision a 'failure of leadership'Jon Pearce, a Labour MP and the UK's special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, told The Telegraph: “The IHRA definition is the internationally recognized benchmark for identifying antisemitism.“You cannot tackle a problem you are unwilling to identify, and Save the Children's failure so far to adopt it is a deeply troubling indication of a wider cultural problem and a serious failure of leadership."