The Dominican Republic is set to become the 48th country worldwide and the seventh in Latin America to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism after President Luis Abinader ordered the country’s foreign ministry to formalize the decision. The move came as Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, urged other Latin American governments to follow the Dominican Republic’s lead, pointing to the Trump administration’s efforts at home as a framework for confronting antisemitism internationally.
Abinader made the announcement Monday at the Combat Antisemitism Movement-sponsored annual Latin American Forum Against Antisemitism in the nation's capital, Santo Domingo. According to an English translation of the president’s remarks, Abinader said antisemitism should not be viewed as a threat affecting only Jewish communities. "Antisemitism is not a problem that concerns only the Jewish people," he said.
"It is a threat to democratic coexistence and to the rights and freedoms of us all." A NEW CHAPTER FOR AMERICA’S 250TH: 'J250' INITIATIVE PUTS JEWISH CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE SPOTLIGHT The announcement comes amid heightened concern over antisemitism worldwide. The Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center monitored and reported 767 antisemitic incidents globally in March 2026, an average of nearly 25 incidents per day and a 32.5% increase compared with March 2025. Kaploun praised the Dominican Republic’s decision at the conference as a "historic moment" and called on other governments across the region to follow its lead.
"What you have witnessed tonight is a government standing up for what is right," he said. "There cannot be any compromise with antisemitism," he continued. "We will lead by example, and we will take positive steps to protect every Jewish community." Kaploun pointed to the Trump administration’s efforts in the United States as a framework other governments could use to confront antisemitism within their own institutions. 'NOT ON OUR WATCH': GLOBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADERS UNITE IN POLAND AGAINST HATE "In America, we have our marching orders," he said.
"We are holding universities accountable. We are prosecuting hate crimes. We have changed our visa vetting programs.
We have withdrawn from major U.N. bodies that have promoted terrorism and antisemitism." The U.S. State Department has used a working definition of antisemitism, together with guiding examples, since 2010. In 2016, the IHRA’s member countries adopted the current non-legally binding working definition.
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