The City of Prairie Village Government unanimously passed a resolution adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.
The resolution, which passed on April 3, 2023, makes Prairie Village the third city in Greater Kansas City to adopt the definition, following Leawood and Kansas City, Missouri.
Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson and the City Council approved the resolution, which used the same language as Leawood and Kansas City, Missouri. The resolution recognizes “the growing problem of antisemitism in the United States” and calls for the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism “as an important tool to address the problem.”
The resolution also states, “The Kansas Jewish community has experienced firsthand the deadly result of antisemitism when, on April 13, 2014, three people lost their lives due to antisemitic attacks at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and the Village Shalom, both located in Overland Park, Kansas.”
The Working Definition describes antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”