In a Dangerous Climate, ADL Offers More Problems Than Solutions

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!