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Anti-Defamation League

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The Anti-Defamation League (or ADL) of Bnai Brith is an American organization that claims to be the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry. With an annual budget of over $40 million, the ADL has 29 offices in the USA and 3 offices in other countries.

The current director of ADL is Abraham Foxman. The national chair is Howard Berkowitz.

History

Founded in October, 1913 by Sigmund Livingston, the ADL's charter stated:

"The immediate object of the League is to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people. Its ultimate purpose is to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike and to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens."

The ADL has targeted a number of groups and individuals over its time for alleged anti-Semitism, with varying degrees of success. The ADL points to the following as examples of some of those who it has opposed:

On April 8 1993 the ADL offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles were raided by police. It was discovered that the ADL had copies of computer files on 12,000 Americans and more than 950 groups. Among those groups that were being tracked by the ADL were:

The ADL began collecting these and other files in the 1930s, which it describes in its official history as its "famous storehouse of accurate, detailed, unassailable information on extremist individuals and organizations".

Arab and Muslim relations

Although the Anti-Defamation League has not worked together with Arab-American and Muslim-American civil rights groups (owing to disagreement concerning the Israeli-Palestine conflict), the Anti-Defamation League has on numerous occasions publicly condemned slurs against Islam.

The ADL website notes that:

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against America, ADL has responded to numerous incidents of violence and harassment against Arab Americans, Muslim Americans and other individuals or groups that are perceived to be of Middle Eastern descent. Our message is consistent and clear -- no one should be singled out for hatred, prejudice or blame based on their ethnicity or religion. American unity and democracy is founded on this important ideal.

Black relations

Historically, African-Americans and the ADL worked closely together in the civil rights struggle. Since the 1970s relations have been less smooth, owing to diverging opinions on a range of issues (including affirmative action, welfare, Israel and a range of other topics).

ADL speaks out against some voices in the Black-community, especially the Nation of Islam, which the ADL consider to be black supremacist. However, the ADL also works to combat racism against all racial groups, including racism against blacks. In 1997 the National Center for Black-Jewish Relations of Dillard University (a historically Black University in New Orleans) awarded the director of the ADL, Abraham H. Foxman, with the first Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. - Donald R. Mintz Freedom and Justice Award.

The ADL has investigated the African National Congress closely, with the justification that the ANC "were violent, they were anti-Semitic, they were pro-PLO, and they were anti-Israel.".

Criticism

The ADL is criticized for equating views critical of Israeli policies with anti-semitism, and thereby stifling discussion about Israeli policies.

Noam Chomsky, a Jewish critic of Israel wrote in his 1989 book Necessary Illusions:

"The ADL has virtually abandoned its earlier role as a civil rights organization, becoming 'one of the main pillars' of Israeli propaganda in the U.S., as the Israeli press casually describes it, engaged in surveillance, blacklisting, compilation of FBI-style files circulated to adherents for the purpose of defamation, angry public responses to criticism of Israeli actions, and so on....These efforts, buttressed by insinuations of anti-Semitism or direct accusations, are intended to deflect or undermine opposition to Israeli policies, including Israel's refusal, with U.S. support, to move towards a general political settlement."

The ADL has a generally negative opinion of Chomsky. In 1991, after he wrote the introduction to a book by French revisionist Robert Faurisson, they supported Alfred Kazin in his description of Chomsky as a "dupe of intellectual pride so overweening that he is incapable of making distinctions between totalitarian and democratic societies, between oppressors and victims".

See also: AIPAC, JCPA, Presidents' Conference, Anti-Semitism, Racism

External Links

ADL position statements:

News articles: