Do American Jews ‘Overwhelmingly’ Support the IHRA Definition? Not Really

Last week, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) released the results of a survey of Jewish Americans conducted in May 2026. The survey asked 1,060 Jewish Americans questions about their experiences of antisemitism, how it has affected their behavior, the nature of their relationships with Israel, and their support for the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

Many of the survey findings that CAM shared in its report seem to comport with the findings of other major research studies on antisemitism. Since as early as 2024, Jews indeed report that their habits have changed, and more recent surveys reveal similar levels of concern for antisemitism and similar perceptions of its rise.

CAM’s findings about the extent to which American Jews support the IHRA definition of antisemitism, however, are questionable.

CAM’s messaging around the survey makes some strong claims. “American Jews have answered with near-unanimous clarity: adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism,” they wrote on the last slide in their deck. In their press release, CAM was similarly strong. “The survey responses demonstrate that Jews overwhelmingly support adoption of the IHRA definition,” said CAM President of US Affairs Alyza D. Lewis. “The data is clear. The mandate is clear. It’s time to adopt the IHRA definition…”

Does the CAM survey data show overwhelming support for IHRA? CAM has not released the complete survey or the data behind it, so all we have is the summary presentation.

The survey’s first question about IHRA is whether respondents “agree the IHRA Working Definition accurately describes antisemitism.” 75% said yes, 21% said they were neutral on that question, and 4% said no. If accurate, this is a significant finding; 75% of Jews agreeing on anything is quite a feat. But is this figure accurate? With the available evidence, it looks like the survey may have been designed to elicit that finding.

First, there is no evidence that CAM provided any alternative definitions when asking if respondents agreed that the IHRA Working Definition accurately describes antisemitism. Had CAM provided options for respondents to place their answer within a broader spectrum of positions, or given respondents the possibility of selecting from a list of options about what constitutes antisemitism, the survey may have revealed larger diversity of thought amongst the respondents.

Additionally, it’s not clear how the IHRA Working Definition was presented within the survey, or whether the definition was presented in its entirety alongside the oft-debated examples that IHRA provides along with it. The IHRA Working Definition without its examples is a relatively unremarkable definition; the examples, however, elicit more controversy.

The survey also asks respondents to state whether they support the adoption of the IHRA definition by governments/universities, by the respondents’ own U.S. state, and by the respondents’ own city or county. For each of these three questions, the results hover around 67% and 71%, meaning that close to a third of American Jews do not favor adoption of the definition.

Despite almost one third of respondents indicating opposition, the public report and accompanying press release from CAM tell a very different story. The press release claims that American Jews “overwhelmingly” support adoption of the IHRA definition, and the public report goes even further, stating “The data is clear. The mandate is clear … American Jews have answered with near-unanimous clarity: adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.” Framing an approximately two-thirds consensus as an “overwhelming” or “near-unanimous” is an overreach on a question that has elicited significant controversy.

Organizationally, supporting IHRA is an important component of CAM’s mission; as an advocacy organization, it is perhaps not surprising that it deployed a survey that elicited support for IHRA and that it presented the findings as supportive of its organizational goals. But a more balanced survey design would likely have revealed a more complex picture of how American Jews define antisemitism, and a more careful presentation of this survey’s findings would have acknowledged that American Jewish support for IHRA is not overwhelming or near-unanimous.