When a Democracy Walks Away from Holocaust Memory: The Meaning of Brazil’s IHRA Withdrawal
Students at the Martyr Farhan Kiwan School in Sawhat al-Khudr hold signs bearing messages from their families, including “As-Suwayda is fighting terrorism” and “I have the right to live,” written in both Arabic and English. July 30, 2025. (Ahmad Qwaider)

When a Democracy Walks Away from Holocaust Memory: The Meaning of Brazil’s IHRA Withdrawal

What does it say when a government walks away from the world’s foremost alliance dedicated to preserving Holocaust memory? What signal is sent when a democracy distances itself from a coalition committed to combating antisemitism, just as such hatred is resurging worldwide?

These questions surround Brazil’s decision to withdraw from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), a move experts warn carries diplomatic, moral, and historical consequences beyond its stated rationale.

In his article ‘Brazil Is Choosing To Leave a Club of Democracies:’  Experts Warn of Broader Consequences Behind Lula’s IHRA Withdrawal, The Media Line’s Gabriel Colodro explores the backlash to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s move, justified on budgetary and legal grounds but widely seen as an ideological pivot away from Western democracies toward partners like China and Russia.

“This is not just a symbolic exit,” said Dr. Ariel Gelblung of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “Brazil is leaving a club of democracies… and aligning itself with regimes like China and Russia.”

Coming as Argentina assumes IHRA’s presidency, Brazil’s exit sends a different message — that even historical truth can be politicized.

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