The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is an organization that describes itself as an anti-hate organization, dealing with antisemitism. It is known for its frequent calls to action against anyone that they accuse of antisemitism. While this may seem to be a cause worthy of praise, the ADL has adopted a definition of antisemitism that includes criticism of Israel as antisemitic, which many advocates for Palestinian freedom criticize, as it conflates Jewish people and Israel’s existence as intertwined.
The ADL is known for targeting those on the left, especially students and student organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine. In particular, the ADL accuses advocates of Palestine of being terrorists, repeating Islamophobic sentiment in their effort to combat what they define as antisemitism. Furthermore, the ADL seems to target those who are Black consistently. The Boston Review says “The ADL’s power to mobilize against black leadership does not rest on leveraging anxieties about anti-Semitism. It draws instead on the ADL’s much broader authority it has won over anti-black and anti-immigrant hate.” It is a quasi-state role that the ADL developed in just a decade, throughout the 1980s: the period of collective U.S. desperation about white supremacist violence preceding the one we are in.” The ADL was involved in an FBI investigation, in which it was found to have investigated U.S. politicians, leftists news corporations, and even the NAACP, and turned some of this information over to the Apartheid South African Government, which the ADL supported. It additionally investigates, targets, and even doxxed individuals who work against causes that the ADL supports, including programs that send American police officers to train with the Israeli Military. The Guardian’s investigation also revealed that the ADL had been tracking ‘leftwing’ anti racist groups, and encouraging police to investigate them. The investigation also revealed that the ADL kept ‘threat assessments” or intense reports regularly discussed by staff, on members of progressive Jewish organizations such as JVP- Jewish Voices for Peace.
The ADL has consistently undermined pro-Palestinian voices and efforts, using its organizational status as leverage to act with the US state. The ADL collaborates with Congress, its members serve as advisors to the executive and legislative branches, and it is entrenched in American institutions. The ADL creates yearly reports on antisemitic incidents in America, yet what constitutes as an “incident” targets calls for pro-Palestinian rights and even criticism of the ADL itself, and includes even students who may echo chants such as “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” as just one example.
The ADL has solidified itself as the arbitrator of what is and is not Anti-Semitic. It partnered in developing a working definition created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which is used by the United States Government to identify instances of anti-semetism, and may be used by courts to prove hate crimes. The working definition of antisemitism that the House has endorsed includes the following:
- Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
- Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
In these addendums, both the ADL, and the House have undermined groups and coalitions that advocate against anti-Black and Islamophobic rhetoric. They have been joined by AIPAC as well. With this definition of antisemitism being used by major institutions in the US, groups like the ADL are reporting an “increase” in antisemitic incidents; however, these incidents come after these groups have adopted definitions of antisemitism that say any criticism towards Israel and Zionism is anti-Jewish hatred. A recent ADL report says that there has been a 200% increase of antisemitic incidents since October 7, 2023, but within the report, the ADL has included incidents at rallies and protests for Palestine.
Though the conflation of Israel’s right to exist, its extra judicial actions, and the Jewish people’s right to exist without harm or discrimination has been conflated for years, almost since the creation of Israel itself, the recent developments since October 7th, 2023 have been monumental in narrative that is currently unfolding. Though the ADL is growing, its credibility is suffering. According to the Guardian, Wikipedia no longer trusts the ADL’s accounts of the Israel/Palestine conflict, which are riddled with historical inaccuracies and propaganda proven to be false. The ADL seems to be losing power with the people, though its supporters continue to donate exorbitant amounts of money in order to further its mission. For a lot of young people, people of color, and even conscientious observers watching the news, Israel’s dissemination of Gaza, it’s waging of war on Lebanon, and it’s attempt to take over the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the West Bank have called into question the narrative that groups like the ADL spent decades crafting. Nevertheless it’s important to consistently remind people about the ADL’s dark history, and its end goal. Ending anti-semetism is a noble cause, and everyone, including the Muslim community should stand arm in arm with policies that allow Jewish people to practice their faith. Normalizing the existence of an Apartheid government in an occupied land, however, and deeming anyone who objects to the Israeli government as being a bigot, should not be accepted.
