The New York Review of Books recently devoted a lot of space to a review of “The Sword and the... While those actually intent on combating antisemitism none too surprisingly have a hard time trying to find the right medication while misdiagnosing the ailment, for those with other intentions, insisting on the veracity of that misdiagnosis is an excellent way of obstructing attempts to confront antisemitism. The IHRA definition of antisemitism — which always means the vague general formula in conjunction with the specific examples that come with it — does exactly what it says on the tin. It establishes some absolutely basic standards for the identification of antisemitic acts (utterances are always also acts). It is basically the equivalent of a set of house rules that suggests you ought to wash your hands after using the bathroom and should preferably refrain from striking your housemates in the face or burning the house down — standards, in other words, that should go without saying but, unfortunately, do not.