Anti-Defamation League

[[File:ADL logo (2018).svg|thumb|right|165px|The ADL logo]]
{{antisemitism}}
The '''Anti-Defamation League (ADL)''' is a [[United States]]-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1913 by the B'nai B'rith "to stop the defamation of the [[Judaism|Jewish]] people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080413141342/http://www.adl.org/about.asp About the ADL]</ref> The ADL works to combat [[antisemitism]] and all forms of [[racism]] and [[bigotry]], as well as promote interfaith harmony, and identify, analyze, and expose [[extremism]]. They have also stated that to "single out [[Israel]] in denying the country’s right to exist as a Jewish state and equal member of the global community" is antisemitism, so take that with a grain of salt.<ref>https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/what-is-anti-israel-anti-semitic-anti-zionist</ref>

During the 1930s, the ADL conducted espionage on domestic Nazis, including exposing a plot by Nazis to assassinate Hollywood moguls and to blow up munitions factories.<ref>''Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America'' by Steven Joseph Ross (2017) Bloomsbury Press. ISBN 1620405636.</ref><ref name=dallek>''Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right'' by Matthew Dallek (2023) Basic Books. ISBN 1541673565.</ref>{{rp|138-139}} After [[World War II]], the ADL continued its espionage activities against far-right groups, including the [[John Birch Society]] (under the code name "Birch Watchers").<ref name=dallek/>{{rp|135-159}}

==Controversies==
===Domestic spying operations===
====Support of CIA domestic spying====
{{wpl|James Jesus Angleton||,}} chief of CIA counterintelligence and director of the Israel desk in Washington from 1954 to 1975, was a close ally of Israel and obsessed with the prospect of Communist agents working with dissident movements within the USA. His closeness to the Israeli Mossad led to the perception that he was, in effect, a Mossad "mole" in a top CIA position. He was forced to resign his position in 1975 after the scandal arising from his brainchild {{wpl|Operation CHAOS||,}} which conducted spying on American dissidents from 1967 onwards. CIA spying against American dissidents had, in fact, occurred years earlier, with the Fair Play for Cuba Committee (FPCC). The ADL has been implicated in that effort through their relationship with CIA contract agent {{wpl|Guy Banister||,}} who oversaw surveillance efforts against the FPCC in New Orleans. Martin Luther King's assassin James Earl Ray claimed that his handler "Raoul" provided him with an ADL contact in New Orleans who claimed inside knowledge of Dr. King's alleged secret support for the Palestinian cause, denouncing him for "antisemitism." That account, if true, raises suspicion that the ADL was spying on the mainstream Civil Rights movement when CIA domestic spying was ramping up. Ray's account has not been universally accepted as truthful; however, it has gained support from the King family.<ref>http://www.unz.com/book/michael_collins_piper__final-judgment/</ref>

====Roy Bullock====
The ADL's reputation took something of a hit in 1993 when Roy Bullock, an independent contractor providing much of the ADL's intelligence, was caught by the [[San Francisco]] district attorney's office keeping files on numerous individuals and groups from left to right, including [[Greenpeace]], [[labor union]]s, anti-[[Apartheid]] groups, [[Religious Right]] groups, members of the U.S. [[Congress]], and [[Arab]]-American groups, and illegally obtaining files from the San Francisco [[police]] department.  Although the ADL took pains to insist they were Bullock's personal files and not the ADL's, the ADL settled out of court in 1999 with some of the targeted groups who had sued them.<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/1993-04-13/news/mn-22383_1_spy-operation Transcripts reveal nearly 40 years of espionage by a man who infiltrated political groups], LA Times</ref>

===Armenian genocide===
The ADL's reputation took another hit in 2007 when, in a massively [[hypocritical]] move, their director Abraham Foxman opposed US Congressional recognition of the [[genocide]] against [[Armenia]]ns that took place 1915-1917; the ADL reversed their official position later that year after a public outcry.<ref>[http://npfdarchive.blogspot.com/2007/08/0821-adl-statement-on-armenian-genocide.html ADL Statement on Armenian Genocide, Aug. 21, 2007]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070824055911/http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/22/adl_chief_bows_to_critics ADL chief bows to critics], Boston Globe</ref>

===Criticism by anti-Zionists===

The ADL is fiercely pro-Israel <ref> https://www.adl.org/about/adl-israel </ref> <ref> https://www.adl.org/about/mission-and-history </ref> and has a reputation for conflating [[anti-Zionist]] opposition to the political sovereignty and existence of [[Israel]] with [[antisemitism]]. The organization has directly affirmed that they hold this stance in some materials.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230809165439/https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/anti-zionism ADL page on Anti-Zionism]. Archived in August 2023.</ref>. [[Noam Chomsky]] and [[Norman Finkelstein]] have both accused the ADL of smearing [[Israel]]'s political opponents as antisemites and Jewish critics of Israel as [[No True Scotsman|self-hating Jews]] (including them).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040308164843/http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/198805--.htm Noam Chomsky Interviewed by Burton Levine]</ref> Anti-Zionist Ben Steigmann wrote a massive crazy email to the ADL with the intention of "refuting the basis of their operations".<ref>[http://archive.li/AU6F2#selection-1529.2-1529.40 My refutation of the narrative underlying your operations]</ref> Joey Kurtzman criticized the ADL for using charges of antisemitism as a bullying tactic.<ref>[http://www.jewcy.com/post/fire_foxman Fire Foxman], Joey Kurtzman</ref>

===Gaza genocide===
Perhaps the greatest and most noticeable blow to the ADL’s claim of being an “anti-hate” organization is its unapologetic, ironclad support for the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza, being perpetrated by the state of Israel.

Since the start of the Gaza genocide in October 2023, the ADL has played a central role in defending and covering up Israeli war crimes and human rights violations, peddling pro-Israel propaganda<ref> https://www.adl.org/resources/article/denialism-wake-oct-7-massacre </ref> and anti-Palestinian racism, presenting Israel’s actions as self defense, and launching a massive disinformation campaign. Since the start of the genocide, the ADL has routinely attacked anyone who criticizes Israel in any way, accusing them of antisemitism, supporting terrorism, and being “pro-Hamas”<ref> https://theintercept.com/2024/02/21/adl-palestine-terrorism-legislation/ </ref>, despite their website saying that certain forms of criticism are okay.<ref> https://www.adl.org/about/adl-and-israel/anti-israel-and-anti-zionist-campaigns </ref> Celebrities, college encampments<ref> https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/students-justice-palestine-sjp </ref>, protestors, politicians <ref> https://www.adl.org/resources/article/radical-anti-israel-candidates-2022-primaries </ref>, and everyone in between who dares to criticize Israel’s conduct in Gaza has been targeted by the ADL’s ongoing smear campaign.

The ADL doesn’t pull punches when dealing with Jewish people who oppose the Gaza genocide. While they were criticized by the ADL prior to October 2023, leftwing Jews and Jewish groups, especially Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP),<ref> https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/jewish-voice-peace-jvp </ref> and any other Jews critical of Israel, have been increasingly targeted by the ADL’s smear campaign since then.

The CEO of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, has maintained a presence in American media, trying to silence Palestinians and people critical of Israel; in interviews, he often spins around stories of Israeli atrocities against Palestinians in order remove the blame from Israel and place it on Palestinians or Hamas, and then paint himself and Israel as the victims instead. He also defends Israel’s atrocities and human rights violations by using comically horrible analogies: In a 2025 podcast interview,<ref>[https://archive.ph/i55KE gato fumador] on X, 15 August 2025.</ref> he said it’s not fair to criticize Zionism’s existence because people didn’t delegitimize or destroy Christianity when the Crusades happened, didn’t call for America to be destroyed in response to slavery, and didn’t condemn oppression of women under Islam for centuries. In other words, Israel can do a genocide because Christians and Muslims committed atrocities.

During an appearance on Morning Joe, Greenblatt compared wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh to wearing a Swastika armband <ref> https://mondoweiss.net/2024/04/jonathan-greenblatts-racist-keffiyeh-smear-is-another-chapter-in-the-adls-war-on-palestinians/ </ref>, leading to criticism.

The ADL supported the 2025 ICE kidnapping and illegal detainment of Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian leader of the anti-genocide protests at Columbia University, who was denied due process (in violation of the US Constitution) and has no criminal record. In response to a post about Khalil’s kidnapping by the anti-Palestinian Columbia Jewish Alumni Association, the ADL smeared pro-Palestine protestors as supporters of foreign terrorist organizations and accused them of intimidating Jewish students.<ref>[https://archive.ph/UcTAX ADL] on X, 10 March 2025.</ref> They thanked the fascist Trump Administration for its illegal and racist crackdowns against Palestinians and students who opposed Israel’s crimes against humanity, pretending that they’re antisemites and terrorists.

===Capitulating to the extremists===
====Defending Musk's Nazi salute====
[[File:Musk-nazi-salute.webp|250px|right|thumb|An "awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm"; an [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] salute to the guy who [[Holocaust|killed our ancestors]]? Nah, college kids holding drawings of watermelons are worse.]]

During [[Donald Trump]]'s second presidential inauguration on January 20th, 2025, his billionaire supporter [[Elon Musk]] clearly, and rather enthusiastically, gave a [[Nazi]] salute-<ref>[https://www.advocate.com/politics/elon-musk-nazi-salute Journalist calls out people for being 'fine' with Elon Musk's Nazi salute but not pronouns]. ''The Advocate.'' Published January 21, 2025.</ref> not once, but ''twice.'' And for an organization that [[Hasbara|sees red]] at anyone who has ever raised so much as a peep of a criticism of Israel, ADL sure seemed keen to kiss the ring, and [[Irony|normalize and sanewash ''actual'' antisemitism]]:
{{cquote| This is a delicate moment. It's a new day and yet so many are on edge.
Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety.

It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, [[Bullshit|not a Nazi salute]], but again, we appreciate that people are on edge.

In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning.

Let's hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.|||ADL [[Tokenism|selling out their own]] on X}}

====Deleting the Glossary of Extremism====
After criticism from the [[far-right]] in September 2025, including by [[Elon Musk]], following extremist [[Charlie Kirk]]'s assassination, ADL decided to "retire" its highly-cited Glossary of Extremism,<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/adl-scraps-glossary-of-extremism-after-backlash-10808711 ADL Scraps ‘Glossary of Extremism’ After Backlash] </ref> claiming:<ref>[https://archive.ph/PWU2c With over 1,000 entries written over many years, the ADL Glossary of Extremism has served as a source of high-level information on a wide range of topics for years…] by ADL (10:43 PM · Sep 30, 2025) ''Twitter'' (archived from 1 Oct 2025 02:03:46 UTC)</ref>
{{cquote|With over 1,000 entries written over many years, the ADL Glossary of Extremism has served as a source of high-level information on a wide range of topics for years. At the same time, an increasing number of entries in the Glossary were outdated. We also saw a number of entries intentionally misrepresented and misused.}}

===Interfaith marriage===
In an August 2025 interview with David M. Cohen, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt bemoaned interfaith marriage between Jews and non-Jews,<ref> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FkN6zeTDCVw&pp=ygUhSm9uYXRhaG4gZ3JlZW5ibGF0dCBpbnRlcm1hcnJpYWdl </ref> strongly implying that he believes Jewish people should only marry other Jewish people.

==Federal Reserve conspiracy theories==
{{cquote|The ADL (Anti-Defamation-League) was formed by Jacob Schiff (Blood relation to Rothschild); this organization was created in 1913 to slander anyone who questions or challenges the Rothschild global conspiracy as, "antisemitic."<ref>https://archive.ph/lhYUG</ref>}}
Due to the fact that the [[Federal Reserve]] and the ADL were both founded in 1913, antisemitic [[crank]]s often claim that the ADL was founded as a [[propaganda]] front for the [[Rothschild family|Jews that secretly run the Fed]].<ref>[https://www.adl.org/education/resources/backgrounders/jewish-control-of-the-federal-reserve-a-classic-anti-semitic-myth#introduction Jewish "Control" of the Federal Reserve: A Classic Anti-Semitic Myth] Anti-Defamation League.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Armenian Genocide denial]]
*[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]
*[[National Rifle Association]], another relatively moderate organization that took a knee-jerk reactionary turn, albeit theirs happened almost fifty years prior.

==External links==
*[http://www.adl.org/ Official website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20250805024938/https://extremismterms.adl.org/search ADL: Glossary of Extremism and Hate Home] (archived from August 5, 2025) — not searchable

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Antisemitism]]
[[Category:Internalized discrimination]]
[[Category:Islamophobia]]
[[Category:Judaism]]
[[Category:Leftists who turned right with age]]
[[Category:Political action groups]]
[[Category:Racism]]

Categories: Antisemitism, Internalized discrimination, Islamophobia, Judaism, Leftists who turned right with age, Political action groups, Racism