The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913 to defend Jews against anti-Semitism, is no longer what it claims to be. Since the 1970's, the ADL has placed much of its focus on defending the State of Israel. Today, if one looks on the ADL website, most of what one sees is defense of Israel, advocacy for Israel and calls to stand up for Israel.

Read for example their recent call to write Congress in protest against a United Nations statement:

"We are particularly outraged that the UN Security Council, in an act of sheer hypocrisy, issued a statement suggesting an "equivalency" between Hamas' terrorism and Israel's attempts to eliminate that terrorism. The Security Council statement ignores Israel's fundamental right and responsibility to protect its people. Israel needs your support now. Send Congress a message now

To write to your congressional delegation in support of Israel: 1. Complete the form below. 2. Review the message on the right. 3. Click the "Send Your Message" button.

The ADL's new agenda has nothing to do with defending Jews against anti-Semitism, and it will actually lead to more danger for Jews. The ADL's own surveys have shown that a growing number of non-Jewish Americans (currently over 30%) believe that Jews are more loyal to the State of Israel than to America. The ADL's letter-writing campaigns and branding of criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism can only reinforce that dangerous stereotype.

For decades, we Jews have invested in the ADL as an organization that would provide us with legal defense against anti-Semites. Without notice, the ADL has left us in the lurch and become a different organization. New, Zionist-oriented leaders have taken over the ADL and used its good name to push their ideology, at American Jews' expense. It's not only that they have stolen our investment; they use our guns against us. They use our money to endanger Jews, not protect them. ADL today is actually a political lobby for the State of Israel, not unlike AIPAC and a host of other Zionist lobbies.

Whatever one thinks of Zionism, one thing is certain: Zionism's chief goal is to create and maintain a Jewish state, not to protect Jewish lives around the world. During the Second World War, Zionists turned a blind eye to what was happening to European Jewry and instead focused on establishing the groundwork for their state. They even sabotaged all efforts to get Jews out of Europe, except, of course, when their destination was Palestine. This is known to anyone familiar with the history of Zionism.

Prominent Orthodox rabbis such Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum (in 1961) and Rabbi Avigdor Miller (in 1973) warned that the Zionists are continuing in the same path today, endangering American Jewry for the sake of their state. In Rabbi Miller's words, "The proponents of the State of Israel attempt to kindle a fire under the Jews in all lands in order to make their position untenable so that they emigrate to augment the population of the new state."

American Jews can legally take back ADL from the Zionists. For the sake of Jews and G-d, let us take action and raise an outcry now to get back the old ADL! Let this be a turning point, at which Jews regain their premier defense organization!

To take part in this effort, make an online donation to Jewish Response, or contact Leo Greenbaum at:

Phone. 347-424-0778 Fax: 845-517-4996

In a recent letter to potential supporters, Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League writes:

"As I write, disturbing reports are flowing into the ADL from all over the world about violence against Jewish institutions and individuals provoked by the situation in Gaza.

"The anti-Semitic backlash against Israel's military operation to end the terrorism of Hamas' rockets and suicide bombers is the worst we've seen in decades. We are working round the clock to defuse it with fact-based information and outreach that provide both balance and perspective. Our materials are available at www.adl.org.

"For us, the bottom line is that the rightful actions of the government of Israel to protect its people should not become cause for threatening the security of the Jewish people worldwide. Yet, that is what's happening.

"The targets include synagogues firebombed in France, Belgium, Sweden and England, a Jewish teenager beaten in Paris by thugs who said they were avenging the Palestinians, and an Israeli basketball team chased off the court in Turkey by a crowd chanting, "Killers!" and "Death to Jews!" Here in the U.S., anti-Semitic graffiti was scrawled on the walls of five Jewish institutions in Chicago.

"Thankfully, in America so far we are only dealing with hateful words. But as the Jewish people know better than anyone  and as the global news reports prove  hate-filled words lead to hate-filled deeds.

"That is our challenge today  to stop this dangerous upsurge of anti-Semitism by appeals to reason and conscience. That has been the ADL's cause for nearly a century and the effectiveness of our work is undeniable.

"In this current climate, however, the involvement of every caring and concerned person is critically important. I urge you to help ADL now when our most vigorous intervention really matters.

"The enclosed letter describes how ADL works and everything we do to end anti-Semitism and ensure the safety of the Jewish people. After you read it, I urge you to take this opportunity to become an ADL supporter."

Foxman characterizes the ADL's work now in defending the State of Israel as a continuation of its work in fighting anti-Semitism for nearly a century. But defending a particular action taken by certain Jews is not the same as defending Jews against racial hatred and prejudice. The ADL has changed its course.

The problem faced by Jews today is summed up nicely in Foxman's own words: "Actions of the government of Israel to protect its people should not become cause for threatening the security of the Jewish people worldwide." But Foxman reacts by calling those actions "rightful" and by spreading "fact-based information and outreach" to justify that opinion.

Without going into the question of whether the State of Israel's operation was right or wrong, the fact is that billions of Muslims and others around the world are deeply angered by it. How can the ADL call the operation "rightful" and then expect the world not to target Jews in revenge for what Israel has done? The ADL is simply reinforcing the misconception, held by those who carry out violent attacks, that world Jewry and the State of Israel are all the same and one can be held responsible for the other. If we want security for the Jewish people worldwide, we have to focus on defending Jews, not defending Israel. The ADL does not seem to understand this.

Reading through the history of the ADL that accompanies Foxman's letter, we see that the ADL was indeed founded in 1913, long before the State of Israel came into existence. Its earliest battles included getting objectionable and vulgar references to Jews out of American newspapers, exposing the Ku Klux Klan and confronting those who circulated the infamous "Protocols of the Elders of Zion." In the 1950s they fought anti-Semitic quotas at colleges and in the 1960s they joined the civil rights battle against school segregation.

But in the 1970s, we suddenly find that ADL "intensifies its ongoing Middle East interpretation program by vigilantly correcting anti-Israel propaganda and keeping America informed of the facts." Since then, the ADL has placed much of its focus on defending the State of Israel from those who defame it.

We respectfully suggest that the Anti-Defamation League change its name to the Defense of Israel League. Or, perhaps it should split into two organizations, one to defend the State of Israel against its critics (there are already many such organizations) and the other to defend the Jewish people against anti-Semitism.

The ADL's name is misleading, and in its literature it intentionally gives people the impression that it is here to defuse anti-Semitism, when in fact its main activity is pushing its pro-Israel agenda. Many Jews who donate money to the ADL may be unaware of what their money is being used for.

Fighting hatred and bigotry is one thing, and pushing a political agenda is another. Let's keep it separate!

The following Press Release will be issued by Jewish Response.com. We welcome your response and comments.

Brooklyn, New York January 11, 2009

On Thursday, Jan 8, the US Senate passed a bi-partisan resolution expressing support for Israel, a measure promoted by lobbyist organizations such as AIPAC. The resolution sponsors and supporters undoubtedly believe that in issuing this resolution they are representing and protecting their Jewish constituents. One of the resolution sponsors, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was quoted as telling the Senate floor that the legislative body would "strengthen our historic bond with the State of Israel by reaffirming Israel's inalienable right to defend against attacks from Gaza, as well as our support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process."

"While no one would argue against the call for peace or for Israel's right to self-defense", stated Leo Greenbaum, representative of JewishResponse.com an organization dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism, "but by voicing strong support of Israel and proactively siding with Israel in this conflict the US Senate has unwittingly escalated anti-Semitism against U.S. Jews and is endangering Jews worldwide."

Jewish synagogues and schools in the U.S. have had to employ full time security against anti-Semitic attacks in the backlash against US Jews for the actions of Israel and in Denmark and India Jews have been attacked and murdered in retaliation for the actions of Israel. Mr. Greenbaum went on to say, "Why do US Senators feel they must take sides on an issue they perceive to be "Jewish" when no such public stance is taken on conflicts between countries like India and Pakistan. They do not seem to realize the anti-Semitic impact of their public statements when they single out issues involving Israel or Jews."

JewishResponse.com fully supports the peace process which must begin with a mutual cease-fire but asks the U.S. government to refrain from taking sides in this conflict between Israel and Hamas and to cease the inflammatory rhetoric which fuels anti-Semitism.

While other media outlets report the recent Bernie Madoff securities fraud and investment scandal for the news of interest that it is, the New York Times seems to be trying to divert attention from the theft perpetrated by a greedy investment broker into an issue of Judaism and anti-Semitism.

In a recent New York Times article by Jennifer Peltz published on December 26, 2008 entitled " Jews Fear Madoff Case Stokes Hate", the words "Jew" , "Jewish", and "anti-Semitism" are repeated over and over, driving home their obvious goal of making Madoff's supposed "religious beliefs" a primary issue in this event, perpetuating an age-old Jewish stereo type when in fact, Madoff's greed and fraud are totally contrary to the tenants of true Judaism and Madoff himself is considered a "breakaway Jew" who does not, and did not practice true Judaism.

We can't help but compare the New York Times' reporting on this event to the even larger 60 Billion dollar fraud by Enron, a company owned by Christians. Quite rightly, not once were Christians, or the Christian religion taken to task for the actions of Enron. The universal sins of greed and theft are against the commandments of God, whether written in the Christian Bible or the Jewish Torah and the supposed "religion" of men who have no concern for these commandments should not be an issue for discussion nor reflect on the true believers.

The New York Times article would somehow have one believe that because Madoff is a Jew and many of his investment victims were Jewish, that somehow his crime is more heinous than that of the greedy Enron executives who not only bilked their investors for $60 Billion ($10 Billion more than Madoff's $50 Billion) but also left thousands of Enron employees and their families with no job and no future.

An estimated 50 - 70 million people died in World War II, the war instigated by a Christian, Adolf Hitler. Christians have never been expected to take responsibility for the actions of that dictator, nor should they be expected to do so. Similarly, Jews should not feel responsible or be blamed for the actions of a greedy, unscrupulous investor who claimed to be Jewish.

The New York Times, by again and again mentioning the words Jews and Jewish adopt the rhetoric of anti-Semitism which lumps all Jews together with any individual who has committed crimes, and all other media outlets should be challenged to report this story for what it is, a story of greed and corruption, not a reflection on the Jewish people or their beliefs any more than Enron is a reflection of Christian beliefs. It's time to move on and ignore the people of hate which are unfortunately publishers, writers and so-called political analysts regardless of how sophisticated they hide their hate to the faith of their fathers by putting up the question that needs no answer. It's time for humanity to adopt the vision of a righteous thinker who has no hate but just tries to understand men and their creator.

Read the article:

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/bbdp/jews-fear-madoff-case-stokes-hate/287355

Anti-Semites sometimes claim that Jews are racists and supremacists because they refer to themselves as the "chosen people." But this defining of Jews by race is an error and in no way reflects the true Jewish belief. Membership in the Jewish people is not dependent on race. For the Jews, peoplehood has always been defined only by acceptance of the Torah. In the words of the famous philosopher Rabbi Saadiah Gaon (882-942), "This people is only a people through its Torah." Any Jew who rejects the Torah is not part of the Jewish people. Any individual of any race can become a Jew and be part of the Jewish people. Thus it is clear that the term "chosen people" is a misnomer and a more proper rendering would be "chosen religion".

But this still leaves much to be explained. What is the "chosen religion"? What was G-d's purpose in choosing a particular group of people who had particular beliefs?

Judaism teaches that man's purpose in this world is to recognize G-d as his Creator and to thank G-d for creating him. Before He created man, G-d already had angels who sang His praises, but He chose to create humans, who despite being hampered by their own physical needs and surrounded by a world of distractions, and despite not perceiving His existence directly, would believe in Him and praise Him.

After creation, G-d waited for the right people to come along, people through whom He could teach the world about its purpose. At first there were enlightened individuals - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob  who understood on their own that the world must have one all-powerful and benevolent Creator. G-d appeared to them and spoke to them.

But this was not enough. G-d wanted to give His law to a large group of people, who would then live by this law and thereby teach the world about G-d's greatness. He chose to give His law to the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham, who had been the first to proclaim G-d's existence to the world. Abraham's descendants continued to believe in what their ancestor had taught, and they stuck with it despite the adversity of Egyptian slavery. G-d called them the "people I have created for Myself, so that they might speak My praise" (Isaiah 43:21). This was their function on earth.

However, no one should make the mistake of thinking that G-d was choosing one race and their descendants for all time, for better or for worse. The Jews in ancient times were a very numerous nation. What happened to all descendants of those Jews? The answer is that many Jews have gone lost  left the Torah behind and assimilated into other societies and cultures. They may have Jewish blood, but when we speak of the Jewish people we do not mean them.

Just as many have left the Jewish people, many have joined. Some of the greatest names in Jewish history have been converts: Zipporah, wife of Moses; Rahav, wife of Joshua; Ruth, great-grandmother of King David; and Onkelos, compiler of the most authoritative Aramaic translation of the Torah. Great Talmudic sages such as Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Meir were descended from converts. The Talmud even says that the entire purpose of the Jews' exile and dispersal over the face of the earth was so that converts should join them.

So we see that the Jews can really be defined as those individuals who chose G-d, not a race or ethnic group chosen by G-d. To those individuals who chose Him, G-d gave laws and teachings to show them how to spread His word and His praise in the world.

Let the anti-Semites clarify their position. If they are against a particular race, let it be known to them that Jewry is a religion, not a race. Those of Jewish extraction who do not practice Judaism are not to be considered Jews at all. They may use their Jewish identity or even parts of the Jewish religion to further their own agenda, but they are not Jews, neither are Jews responsible for their actions.

On the other hand, if their complaints are directed at the Jewish religion, they have a legitimate right to make their arguments heard and receive substantive answers from Jews. But that is no longer "anti-Semitism" - hatred of particular people. It is a religious doctrinal debate.

We hope this elucidation of the concept of "chosen people" will help our readers understand better who Jews are and what they stand for.

Jewish Response, an organization founded to help defuse anti-Semitism, is alarmed about the high frequency of references to Jews in the current election campaign. Candidates seem to feel that they are helping the Jewish people by promising to further what they believe to be the Jews' interests at every opportunity. However, the exact opposite is the truth.

"When only the Jews, out of all the nationalities and ethnic groups among American voters, are mentioned numerous times, it lends credence to the old anti-Semitic canard that Jews have their own agenda at heart and are disloyal to their country," said Leo Greenbaum of Jewish Response. "The candidates would do us the biggest service by simply not mentioning Jews at all. Then people would get the message that Jews are just like all Americans and want whatever is best for America.

"In times past," he continued, "anti-Semitic politicians used the scapegoating of the Jews as a tool to boost their popularity. Today's candidates are pro-Jewish, and they use their special attention to the Jews as a tool to boost their popularity. But, ironically, their over-emphasis on Jews is bad for the Jews. Jews are very loyal American citizens and don't deserve to be singled out like this." Jewish Response contends that although the dark ages of hatred and persecution are gone, the idea of using the Jews has unfortunately remained a standard feature of politics. It's time for the world to move on and realize that singling out Jews for any reason, good or bad, brings back to life the old accusations from which Jews have always suffered.

Rabbi Moshe of Coucy (d. 1260 C.E.): Sefer Mitzvos Gadol, Negative Commandment 74:

Israel must separate themselves from the vanities of the world and hold onto the seal of the Holy One, blessed is He, which is truth. They should not lie to anyone, Jew or non-Jew, and they should not deceive anyone in any manner, as the prophet says, "The remainder of Israel will do no wrong and will not speak falsely, and there will not be found in their mouths deceptive speech" (Zephaniah 3:13).

Soon the Holy One, blessed is He, will come to redeem the Jewish people. If the Jewish people acts honestly, the gentiles will say, "G-d acted fairly when he picked such people of truth to be His chosen nation. The Torah in their mouths is true." But if they act dishonestly, the gentiles will say, "Why did G-d choose for His portion thieves and swindlers?"

Also, the prophet (Hoshea 2:25) says, "And I will plant them for Myself in the earth," and the Talmud (Pesachim 87b) comments, "A person only plants one kor in order to reap many korim. Here too, G-d scattered the Jewish people among the nations so that converts would join them." If the Jews deal dishonestly, who will join them?

Chullin 94a. Shmuel said: One may not deceive another person, even a non-Jew. This was not said explicitly by Shmuel, but was derived from the following story: Shmuel once crossed the river using a ferryboat. He told his servant to pay the ferryman. The servant gave the ferryman a non-kosher chicken, allowing the ferryman to assume that it was kosher.

The Talmudic commentator Rashi explains: Shmuel's law explains why the Mishnah says that one may not give a non-Jew a piece of meat from which the sciatic nerve (forbidden to Jews) was not removed. The non-Jew might not notice this and may assume that the Jew is giving him valuable kosher meat. He will then feel gratitude toward the Jew, a gratitude based on a false premise.

This law is codified by Maimonides (Laws of Sale 18:3) and by the Shulchan Aruch (Choshen Mishpat 228:6).