The government of the Dominican Republic will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, President Luis Abinader declared on Monday at the Combat Antisemitism Movement’s sixth-annual Latin American Forum Against Antisemitism in Santo Domingo.
This will make the Dominican Republic the seventh Latin American nation to officially embrace the IHRA framework, following Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and Uruguay.
In front of hundreds of attendees at the gala dinner, President Abinader said, “Antisemitism is not a problem that concerns only the Jewish people. It is a threat to democratic coexistence and to the rights and freedoms of us all. This fight must be guided by universal principles, not by temporary political circumstances.”
“Rejecting antisemitism does not mean taking a position regarding a particular government or conflict,” the president stated. “It means stating unequivocally that no political disagreement, no cause, and no circumstance can justify hatred, discrimination, or violence against an individual or a community.”
With this in mind, he announced the adoption of IHRA and confirmed that he has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to formalize the decision and make it public.
“Through this decision, the Dominican Republic reaffirms its commitment to the memory of the Holocaust, to the protection of Jewish communities, and to the eradication of antisemitism in all its forms. It likewise reaffirms its rejection of every manifestation of hatred, religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence against any people or community," he said.
Donation toward the Jewish Museum of Sosúa
Abinader also announced the allocation of 50 million pesos toward the construction of a new building for the Jewish Museum of Sosúa on the Dominican Republic’s northern coast.
US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Rabbi Ambassador Yehuda Kaploun called it a “historic moment.”
“Latin America is in the middle of a very transformative time, rejecting a socialist path in favor of prosperity and freedom,” he added. “It is my privilege to represent the president and the secretary of state to tell everybody that America stands ready to support our friends in this effort to bring a new Latin America with religious liberty and freedom for everybody.”
Israel's Foreign Ministry said it welcomes the Dominican Republic’s adoption of the IHRA definition, calling it "an essential tool for identifying and combating antisemitism in all its forms."
The ministry expressed hope that more countries in the region will follow suit.
According to the World Jewish Congress, there are about 100 Jews living in the Dominican Republic, with the majority in Santo Domingo and about 30–40 in the historic Sousa.
Despite the small size of Dominican Jewry, the community has two synagogues: one in Santo Domingo and the other in Sosúa. Though there is no permanent resident rabbi at either, both often host rabbis from around the world, including Miami and Colombia. Jewish life is organized by the Centro Israelita de la Republica Dominicana.
There is a Jewish cemetery, a mikveh, and chuppah services offered to foreign couples in coordination with the event planners at their resort of choice.
The Dominican Republic was one of the few countries prepared to accept large-scale Jewish immigration before and during the Holocaust. At the Evian Conference on Refugees, which was organized by the Roosevelt Administration in 1938, the Dominican Republic offered to accept up to 100,000 Jewish refugees.