A JEWISH councillor has welcomed a move by Winchester City Council to adopt a definition of anti-Semitism.

It comes after a motion, proposed by leader Cllr Caroline Horrill, was unanimously approved at a meeting last week.

The motion called on the council to adopt International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition, which reads: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.

“Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The motion also called on the council to “continue to work within all its adopted policies to combat all other forms of racism and hate crime”.

Opposition Lib Dem councillor Kim Gottlieb backed the move. He said: “As one of two Jewish members here I think it’s important for me to say that I don’t believe that there is any particular problem within the city council, and I certainly wouldn’t want the public to think that there might be, or that there might be any specific local event which prompted the motion.

“However, there is no room for complacency and whilst there is no anti-Semitism in any institutional sense, I am aware of its presence and that it continues to lurk in what are often surprising corners even in Winchester.”

“Sadly anti-Semitism, racism and prejudice remain a scourge of modern society. Britain may be one of the most enlightened and tolerant places in the world, but we are still a long way off where we should be and we must all strive to battle discrimination wherever and however it might occur.”

The city council’s other Jewish member is Liz Hutchison, who represents St Paul ward.

The motion follows a move last year by Winchester’s Jewish community to install a statue of Licoricia in Jewry Street.

She was a member of the significant Jewish community and was murdered in 1277, a killing that was never solved. She was a highly educated wife and mother and raised funds for Henry III and Queen Eleanor.