The sessions at a conference on religion and diplomacy are needed because expressions of anti-Semitism change from country to country and are in flux, an official said.
A life-size bronze statue of Hungarian politician Balint Homan, who called for the deportation of Jews during World War II, is scheduled to be erected this month.
Ira Forman was replying to a pro-BDS group that said the State Department definition of anti-Semitism, which is used to deal with foreign officials, inhibits free speech on U.S. campuses.