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Trust but verify: Could it be that the Anti-Defamation League is seriously backing away from generalized lefty nastiness in a rededication to its original Jewish purpose? Or is this a short term thing they feel they must do to maintain credibility before reverting? [IsraelTimes] Anti-Defamation League chief Jonathan Greenblatt lays out the organization’s pivot in strategy since October 7, 2023, at the ADL’s annual summit in New York City.
Greenblatt tells an audience of hundreds at the “Never is Now” conference that since the Hamas invasion of Israel, Jewish Americans have experienced a fear that had been forgotten for generations. Jews have changed vacation plans, taken down mezuzahs and reconsidered college choices due to discrimination, he says.
“In the face of this very real fear, we must do better. We cannot keep doing the same thing,” Greenblatt says.
Greenblatt says the ADL has shifted its focus in five ways, including by leaning more on data.
“Condemnation is not enough because when there is no moral shame, you just can’t scold someone into action, but data doesn’t lie. Data is what drives change,” he says, pointing to examples like the ADL’s campus report card on antisemitism.
Second, the ADL is making more use of lawsuits, filing more legal actions in the past 12 months than in the first 112 years of the organization’s existence, Greenblatt says.
Third, the group is using its Center for Antisemitism Research to “interrupt antisemitism before it happens.” The center is using focus groups, surveys and randomized control trials to improve the efficacy of ADL activities, such as social media and curriculum.
Fourth, the ADL is “punching back” in the finance world against the boycott movement against Israel, with a Jewish exchange-traded fund launched last week.
Lastly, the organization is taking action on the ground, such as pressuring officials in Amsterdam to respond after riots against Israelis late last year.
“I know there is hope, and while we’re inspired by this hope, I’ll also acknowledge that hope is not a strategy,” Greenblatt says.
The annual ADL summit is taking place today and tomorrow at the Javits Center in Manhattan. Prominent speakers include the parents of American-Israel Omer Neutra, a hostage killed by Hamas whose body is being held in Gaza, and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant.
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