Chicago has become one of the nation’s leading cities to unanimously codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism into municipal law — an extraordinary move driven not by veteran political leaders but by two students who say they felt compelled to act as anti-Semitic incidents spread across Illinois campuses.
DePaul University student Michael Kaminsky, a 2024 survivor hate crime attack on campusand Jake Rymer of the University of Chicago have spent months lobbying City Council members after what they describe as an explosion of intimidation following Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. Their efforts culminated in a rare unanimous vote, giving Chicago an internationally recognized standard for identifying and responding to modern forms of anti-Semitism.
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Adam Erkan, 20, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge. Last year he attacked two Jewish students at DePaul University. According to Fox 32 Chicago, he was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images; Chicago Police Department)
Supporters say the ordinance responds to a growing call from Jewish communities for more than rhetorical condemnations.
“This gives officials something concrete to work with,” said an advocate involved in the effort. “It brings clarity where there has been confusion.”
Jewish leaders say the vote in Chicago and the overturning of the election in New York reflect a growing divide among major U.S. cities over how to aggressively combat anti-Semitism at a time when attacks and intimidation are on the rise across the country.
The decision from Chicago comes as anti-Semitism remains at the center of national debates over campus safety, free speech and the enforcement of civil rights. It also stands in stark contrast to recent developments in New York City.
Jewish students at several New York City universities expressed fear and anxiety following the victory of socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, warning that it could endanger the city’s Jewish community. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images; John Lamparski/Getty Images)
New York had previously adopted the IHRA definition, but that policy was reversed during the first week of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s term — a move that alarmed Jewish leaders and advocacy groups, who saw the rollback taking place amid a period of escalating threats and intimidation.
This policy change has taken on renewed urgency following a disturbing incident in Brooklyn last month, when a vehicle deliberately drove into the entrance of the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters as people were gathering inside. The NYPD charged the suspect with assault as a hate crime. No injuries were reported, but the attack stirred worshipers and led to increased security around Jewish institutions across the city.
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Community leaders say the timing underlines why clarity in policy is important.
As the number of anti-Semitic incidents continues to rise across the country, they argue, rolling back formal definitions risks sending mixed signals to schools, civil rights investigators and law enforcement agencies charged with responding to bias-motivated behavior.
Advocates in Chicago argue that the adoption of IHRA could have ripple effects far beyond universities.
On August 19, 2024, several groups marched in protest at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Asra Q. Nomani)
In fact, administrators are often hesitant to intervene in anti-Semitic harassment because they lack a clear understanding of what constitutes anti-Jewish discrimination or prejudice. And that lack of clarity has consequences for practice.
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City statistics highlight the stakes. Chicago recorded a 58% increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2024, with incidents against Jews accounting for more than a third of all reported hate crimes – despite Jews making up an estimated three to four percent of the city’s population.
Advocates say codifying the IHRA definition will give law enforcement agencies, school systems and civil rights investigators a consistent benchmark for evaluating complaints, developing training programs and responding to bias-motivated behavior, including those involving Israel-related rhetoric.
Students gather for a protest after authorities dismantled tents on DePaul University’s Quad grounds, ending a 17-day pro-Palestinian protest in Chicago on May 16, 2024. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
For Kaminsky and Rymer, the campaign was deeply personal.
Both students say they encountered hostility on campus, leaving them frustrated by what they saw as institutional paralysis: administrators didn’t know how to act, investigations were postponed and Jewish students felt isolated.
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Their success has made them unlikely symbols of grassroots activism at a time when anti-Semitism has become one of the most controversial civil rights issues in American public life.
Jewish leaders across the country are now watching it closely.
Some see Chicago’s action as a model for municipalities looking to more systematically tackle hate crimes and harassment in schools. Others fear that hesitation — or reversals — in major cities like New York could slow broader efforts to standardize how anti-Semitism is identified and confronted.
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The divergent paths of Chicago and New York, advocates say, highlight a broader national test: whether political leaders will translate their concerns into concrete protective measures — or whether Jewish communities will wonder who will take the initiative if threats materialize.
