The ADL Motto: If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it!
ADL - The Arab Defamation League 2009-06-20
There are 30 pieces of Foxman's whinings on this link
June 17, 2009
The Hatemongers' New Tool: The Internet:
CBS) Christopher Wolf, an attorney in Washington D.C., is Chair of the Anti-Defamation League’s Internet Task Force and Immediate Past Chair of the International Network Against Cyber-Hate.
Before the Internet, James Von Brunn, the self-proclaimed white supremacist, anti-Semite and Holocaust denier who stands accused of murder at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, was relegated to using the mail to communicate his rage with like-minded haters. The only place for him to have his benighted views applauded was in sporadic clandestine meetings.
The Internet changed all that. Like his fellow bigots, Von Brunn found the Internet a boon to his warped causes. His maintained a hate Web site, "Holy Western Empire," where he touted and provided excerpts from his book that denied the Holocaust and praised Hitler. And online, in chat rooms, on bulletin boards and through links to other haters’ Web sites, Von Brunn had a virtual fan club, who cheered him on and legitimized his vicious thinking.
We will never know whether Von Brunn’s rage would have burned out but for the Internet, but we do know that he found validation for the rage he harbored on the Internet.
At the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where Von Brunn unleashed his hateful rage by killing Security Guard Stephen Tyrone Johns, there recently was an exhibit on the power of Nazi propaganda. The exhibit showed how the Nazi propaganda machine skillfully spread lies about Jews and perpetuated centuries-old anti-Semitic stereotypes, setting the stage for the Holocaust.
Today, the Internet Von Brunn used is a powerful and virulent platform for anti-Semitism - hate toward Jews that has a direct link to the deterioration of civil society, violence, terrorism, and - as we now know - murder. Hitler and the Nazis could never have dreamed of such an engine of hate.
The Internet as the new propaganda machine for anti-Semites is not under the central control of a political party or group. It gains its power by being viral in nature. Everyone can be a publisher, even the most vicious anti-Semite. Hate begets hate, and its common appearance makes it seem acceptable and normal. Internet hate is what kept Von Brunn’s hateful lunacy at the boiling point.
And, perniciously, Internet hate speech serves to mislead and even recruit young people to become the next generation of anti-Semites and, perhaps, murders.
Since its advent, we have been concerned about the incredible power and reach that the Internet has given anti-Semites and bigots. What has developed in the past few years, however, is much more dangerous. We are now in the world of what is called "Web 2.0,"transforming the way the Internet is being used. Any hater and propagandist can reach a mass audience, even an audience that didn’t think itself receptive to such hateful ideas. With the users of Web 2.0 comprised largely of younger people, the impact of the information posted there may persist for generations to come.
Blogging and social media sites are changing the way people communicate their reactions to events in the news and interact with each other. Those who harbor anti-Semitic beliefs are comfortable expressing themselves in cyberspace, where they can provoke a reaction from others or find like-minded individuals to affirm their beliefs.
In the aftermath of the Madoff revelations, the comments section following ordinary news stories contained rages against Jewish people for controlling (and ruining) the world’s finances. And YouTube frequently is the home of hate-filled replays of Nazi propaganda films.
The perniciousness of anti-Semitism on today’s Internet is that the more one sees it, the more one is likely to consider it normal, and acceptable. Good people are numbed by the proliferation, and daunted by the task of responding. Others consider it a reflection of what is acceptable in society. And then there are those on the fringe, like Von Brunn, who use such content as justification for murder.
The First Amendment protects essentially all hate speech, except that consisting of direct threats against specific people. But that does not mean we should throw up our hands and simply accept hate on the Internet as something that will always infect the Internet. There is a role for Internet users, for Internet companies and for educators. We should speak up when we see hate sites, explain to our kids what they are seeing, and counter the vicious lies.
Those offering Internet services with terms of use that prohibit hate speech should enforce those terms and remove offending content. And it is time for Internet education as a requirement in all schools, to teach kids how to filter what they are seeing and to reject hate online. (The epidemic of cyberbullying alone should inspire such attention to kids using the Internet.)
A fitting memorial to museum guard Stephen Johns would be for society finally to address hate on the Internet in a meaningful way, to prevent the next Internet-inspired murder.
By Christopher Wolf
Special to CBSNews.com
Shooting At U.S. Holocaust Museum Part Of A 'Wave Of Hate' Against Jews
New York, NY, June 11, 2009 … The shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum by a white supremacist and anti-Semite is not an isolated incident, but is part of a "wave of hate" targeting Jews and others, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which monitors and fights anti-Semitism and extremism.
"The shooting at the Holocaust Museum is part of a wave of hate targeting Jews and Jewish institutions and others," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "It serves as a painful reminder that the anti-Semites and racists are still out there, and are more prone to act out on their beliefs."
In just the first six months of this year, there have been a number of violent attacks and plots in the United States involving "lone wolves" infected with anti-Semitic beliefs, or motivated by extremist sentiments.
"These violent crimes involve a certain amount of cross fertilization," said Mr. Foxman. "Anti-Semitism is a common thread that runs through the extremism of many of these perpetrators, and then they combine it with other toxic ideologies."
"These factors are creating an atmosphere where domestic terrorism seems to be on the rise," said Mr. Foxman. "The danger is ever-present and we must remain vigilant."
The wave of hate, documented on the League's Web site, includes:
* The plot by Muslim extremists to bomb two synagogues in Riverdale, New York;
* The shooting of American soldiers at a military recruiting center in Arkansas;
* The shooting deaths of two persons and sexual assault on a third as part of a killing spree directed against Jews and non-whites in Brockton, Massachusetts.
* The shooting deaths of three Pittsburgh police officers by a man with virulently racist and anti-Semitic beliefs.
While not all of the incidents and plots outlined by ADL specifically targeted Jews directly, they all share certain key characteristics:
* Many of the perpetrators do not belong to a specific extremist group or organization, but seem to be motivated to commit violence by their own radical ideologies.
* Their ideologies often include a hatred of Jews, and they are willing to act out on their hate.
* Many of the extremists are influenced by current events and conditions, including the economic crisis, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the immigration debate, and the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president.
ADL, one of the primary resources on extremism for law enforcement nationwide, is also a leading provider of security information for Jewish community institutions.
The League has sent out an alert through its regional offices to Jewish communities across the country, providing time-critical information on the latest attacks and recommending that all institutions review their security policies, procedures and training and implement any increased or higher alert statuses called for by those plans.
In recent years, the League has conducted security awareness seminars for hundreds of Jewish community institutions across the country. More information and the League's security awareness guides for religious and community institutions are available on the League's Web site at www.adl.org/security.
White Supremacists Celebrate Holocaust Museum Shooter Suspect as a Martyr and Hero
Posted: June 11, 2009
Following the shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., white supremacists and anti-Semites lauded the suspect, James Von Brunn, a longtime neo-Nazi and white supremacist, as a hero and a martyr.
Although he was a peripheral figure in the movement, Von Brunn was respected by fellow white supremacists for his anti-Semitic and racist views, which he has expressed for decades. After the shootings, he was lauded in posts to white supremacist and anti-Semitic Web sites as "an exemplar of the warrior spirit within every White person."
One individual called himself a "recruit" as a result of the shooting. Other extremists warned that similar attacks are forthcoming and, more specifically, that "filthy jews need to know that they are not safe anywhere."
Giving some insight into what might have driven Von Brunn to allegedly take action at the museum, acquaintance and white supremacist John de Nugent cited, as one factor, the election of President Barack Obama as a "tremendous signal of alarm" for Von Brunn. Rage among white supremacists has escalated considerably, as they view the election of a black man as a sign that white people are losing power.
The following is a series of comments taken from white supremacist Web sites in response to the shooting:
From the neo-Nazi VNN Forum:
* "James von Brunn fought the Jews on every level. He was dedicated to truth. But like so many white folks that have had enough of the goddamned kikes, he did not do any planning but just went on a rampage. Why he didn't just take out a few rabbis, Jew bankers and ADL members instead of shooting up a building and shooting a guard, makes no sense. There will be more of these kinds of attacks on the kikenvermin. Let's hope some of these guys do some planning next time and do some real damage instead of just blowing off steam like this…God Bless James von Brunn."
* "The jews' demonization of White Nationalists is backfiring. They have driven racist Whites underground, leaving many with the lone wolf option only. Guess what, you f---ing kikes? You never know when one of these lone wolf things is going to happen, or where!"
* "This might be the best news I have read in a while. These filthy jews need to know that they are not safe anywhere…"
* Neo-Nazi leader and VNN Forum administrator Alex Linder titled a discussion thread "Martyr James Von Brunn: Read Why He Did It." Linder went on to populate the thread with lengthy excerpts from Von Brunn's 2002 anti-Semitic book, Tob Shebbe Goyim Harog! (To Kill the Best Gentiles!).
* "Von Brunn is a true hero. He is an exemplar of the warrior spirit within every White person. One needs only slough off the Jewish filth and poison to awaken that spirit. This holy spirit, given to the White man by God Himself, is what allowed us to conquer the known world and bring holy light to the world and prosperity and salvation to every White man."
* "Both James Von Brunn and Scott Roeder are heroes. (Roeder took out Tiller the white baby killer.) Wonder what is going to happen next…The instincts for the preservation of the White Race was the motivating factor in both these men."
From the white supremacist Stormfront forum:
* "We need more people to take action. I, for one, hope the momentum keeps chugging along, regardless of the bad press."
"These filthy jews need to know that they are not safe anywhere…"
* An individual called Von Brunn a "poor man" and recast the shooting as an incident by a man who "felt that…he had to martyr himself to be heard." The person posting also wrote that Von Brunn "has one more recruit in me, and I am sure man more than me across the world tonight."
* "…he is still a White Racialist Treasure…he had been screwed by the Jews his entire life."
From the neo-Nazi New Saxon Web site:
* A post described Von Brunn as a "white power activist [who] has martyred himself to further his ideals and to bring to the forefront the struggle of the Aryan race." The author of the post went on to praise Von Brunn: "i [sic] have to say that I have to respect someone who is willing to give his life to our cause. Hail brother welcome to the Phineas Priesthood [sic]" [emphasis in original] (The Phineas Priesthood is a violent credo of vengeance. Achieving Phineas Priesthood status has become the goal of extremists committed to perpetrating violent crimes.)
John de Nugent, white supremacist, Holocaust denier, and acquaintance of Von Brunn's:
* In a media interview following the shooting, de Nugent discussed Von Brunn's possible motives and mindset. He conjectured that Von Brunn was driven to action as a result of the election of Barack Obama, which de Nugent described as a "tremendous signal of alarm for [Von Brunn]."
"He was advocating direct action. The time for talk was over."
* De Nugent also explained of Von Brunn that "At least a year ago, his Social Security was slashed. He felt that this was a direct result of somebody in the federal government reading his Web site and punishing him for his politically incorrect opinions."
* De Nugent also explained that Von Brunn's E-mails were becoming increasingly violent. "He was advocating direct action. The time for talk was over. I think he was pushed over the edge by current events and his own personality."
* When asked if the shooting might push white supremacists to reconsider their views, de Nugent responded, "It certainly is a tragedy when white people are provoked. Some of them will snap."
Reject Holocaust Deniers and Head Off Violent Acts
By Scott J. Atlas, ADL Houston Regional Board Chair, and
Martin B. Cominsky, ADL Houston Regional Director
This article originally appeared in The Houston Chronicle on June 13, 2009 RULE
The definition of hatred is the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling so strong that it demands action. Unfortunately, James Von Brunn's intense hatred of Jews and other minorities led him to kill. Von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist and Holocaust denier, shot and killed security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
It was an act that led President Barack Obama to speak about the Holocaust and the dangers of Holocaust denial for the second time in one week, mere days after returning from a visit to the Buchenwald concentration camp.
The president called Holocaust denial "baseless, ignorant and hateful." Von Brunn's views could certainly be characterized that way, but they also were anti-Semitic. How else could Von Brunn and other Holocaust deniers dismiss mountains of evidence, the first-hand testimony of survivors, the documentaries, records, and countless photos of atrocities? Because they believe in the anti-Semitic theory that Jews, through their supposed influence and control over governments, the media and academia, have created and maintained an elaborate, self-serving hoax in order to get sympathy, money and support for the state of Israel. Unfortunately, the Internet has facilitated an increase in Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been a number of plots, conspiracies and attacks against Jews or Jewish institutions and against others by avowed extremists with anti-Semitic views. The violent crimes involve a certain amount of cross-fertilization. Anti-Semitism is a common thread that runs through the extremism of many of these perpetrators, who then combine it with other toxic ideologies. The wave of hate includes:
• The plot by extremists to bomb two synagogues in Riverdale, New York.
• The shooting of American soldiers at a military recruiting center in Arkansas by a man who reportedly searched for Jewish institutions on the Internet.
• The shooting deaths of two persons and sexual assault on a third as part of a crime spree directed against Jews and nonwhites in Brockton, Mass.
• The shooting deaths of three Pittsburgh police officers by a man with virulently racist and anti-Semitic beliefs.
While not all of the crimes and plots outlined by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) specifically targeted Jews directly, they all share certain key characteristics:
• Many of the perpetrators do not belong to a specific extremist group or organization, but seem to be motivated to commit violence by their own radical ideologies.
• Their ideologies often include a hatred of Jews, and they are willing to act on their hate.
• Many of the extremists are influenced by current events and conditions, including the economic crisis, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the immigration debate and the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president.
The shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the crimes above show us in the starkest ways where the spread of hatred can lead. President Obama pulled no punches when he spoke of the perils of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism, and he is to be commended for calling for the rejection of this type of hatred.
You also can fight hatred, racism and anti-Semitism by denouncing hateful language, by reporting bias-related incidents and crimes, and by helping ADL and others to educate the world about the dangers of hate. The shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum reminds us the need is urgent to fight Holocaust denial and hatred before it turns into violence again.
__________
Atlas is the Regional Board Chair and Cominsky is the Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League's Southwest Region.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
White Supremacists Allege "Jewish Power" Behind Sotomayor Nomination To Supreme Court
New York, NY, June 16, 2009 … President Barack Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has unleashed a fusillade of anti-Semitic and anti-Hispanic vitriol among white supremacists and racists angry at the nomination of the first Hispanic to the high court.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said domestic extremists typically exploit current events to demonize non-whites and, especially, Jews. But the level of hatred and numerous conspiracy theories generated by the Sotomayor nomination is particularly intense.
White supremacists and anti-Semites have flooded Internet sites with messages charging the Sotomayor nomination is the result of "Jewish power" and conspiracy theories about Jewish control of the government and media.
"As outrageous as it sounds, some far-right extremists are convinced that Judge Sotomayor's nomination is little more than an attempt to 'destroy the white race,'" said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "While such sentiments are far from the mainstream, they come at a time where white supremacist groups are agitated over a number of domestic developments, including the election of the first African-American president, and eagerly looking for scapegoats. As we witnessed with the recent white supremacist shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, such views are dangerous and can have real world consequences."
In their online writings, white supremacists argue that "Jewish power" was responsible for Sotomayor's nomination and her previous career success; that Sotomayor is herself Jewish, or, in the words of one racist, a "cryptojew;" and that Sotomayor was handpicked by Jews because of her Latino heritage in an effort to "destroy the white race."
The League has amassed and posted examples of white supremacist rhetoric concerning Sotomayor on its Web site. The posts appear in various white supremacist Internet forums and blogs, including Stormfront, the largest and most popular white supremacist Internet forum, Vanguard News Network, a neo-Nazi news site, American Renaissance, a print and online white supremacist journal, and others.
ADL Statement on Iranian Election Results
New York, NY, June 13, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued the following statement regarding the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as President of Iran:
We are greatly disappointed by the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Throughout his term as President, Ahmadinejad's political strategy has been to divert popular focus from domestic issues, such as the dismal economic situation and the impact of Iran's economic and diplomatic isolation, to irrational and extremist allegations and attacks against Jews, Israel, the United State, the West and minorities.
We had hoped that a different outcome to this election would have sent a message to the international community that Ahmadinejad's incendiary behavior is not reflective of the beliefs and views of the Iranian people. Unfortunately, the result for Iran is likely to be another four years of extremism and isolation.
Shooting At U.S. Holocaust Museum Part Of A 'Wave Of Hate' Against Jews
New York, NY, June 11, 2009 … The shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum by a white supremacist and anti-Semite is not an isolated incident, but is part of a "wave of hate" targeting Jews and others, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which monitors and fights anti-Semitism and extremism.
"The shooting at the Holocaust Museum is part of a wave of hate targeting Jews and Jewish institutions and others," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "It serves as a painful reminder that the anti-Semites and racists are still out there, and are more prone to act out on their beliefs."
In just the first six months of this year, there have been a number of violent attacks and plots in the United States involving "lone wolves" infected with anti-Semitic beliefs, or motivated by extremist sentiments.
"These violent crimes involve a certain amount of cross fertilization," said Mr. Foxman. "Anti-Semitism is a common thread that runs through the extremism of many of these perpetrators, and then they combine it with other toxic ideologies."
"These factors are creating an atmosphere where domestic terrorism seems to be on the rise," said Mr. Foxman. "The danger is ever-present and we must remain vigilant."
The wave of hate, documented on the League's Web site, includes:
* The plot by Muslim extremists to bomb two synagogues in Riverdale, New York;
* The shooting of American soldiers at a military recruiting center in Arkansas;
* The shooting deaths of two persons and sexual assault on a third as part of a killing spree directed against Jews and non-whites in Brockton, Massachusetts.
* The shooting deaths of three Pittsburgh police officers by a man with virulently racist and anti-Semitic beliefs.
While not all of the incidents and plots outlined by ADL specifically targeted Jews directly, they all share certain key characteristics:
* Many of the perpetrators do not belong to a specific extremist group or organization, but seem to be motivated to commit violence by their own radical ideologies.
* Their ideologies often include a hatred of Jews, and they are willing to act out on their hate.
* Many of the extremists are influenced by current events and conditions, including the economic crisis, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the immigration debate, and the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president.
ADL, one of the primary resources on extremism for law enforcement nationwide, is also a leading provider of security information for Jewish community institutions.
The League has sent out an alert through its regional offices to Jewish communities across the country, providing time-critical information on the latest attacks and recommending that all institutions review their security policies, procedures and training and implement any increased or higher alert statuses called for by those plans.
In recent years, the League has conducted security awareness seminars for hundreds of Jewish community institutions across the country. More information and the League's security awareness guides for religious and community institutions are available on the League's Web site at www.adl.org/security.
ADL Expresses Outrage At Reverend Wright's Hateful And Inflammatory Comments
Chicago, IL, June 11, 2009 …The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said that Reverend Jeremiah Wright's comments claiming that "Them Jews" are preventing him from communicating with President Barack Obama are "inflammatory and false."
Lonnie Nasatir, Director of the ADL Greater Chicago/Upper Midwest Region, issued the following statement:
Reverend Wright's comments claiming that "Them Jews" are preventing him from communicating with President Obama are inflammatory and false. The notions of Jewish control of the White House in Reverend Wright's statement express classic anti-Semitism in its most vile form. In a short succinct sentence, Reverend Wright manages to both label some of the President's closest advisors solely by their religious beliefs and give them powers superior to the President himself.
It is too bad, that at a time when our country needs to come together, Reverend Wright chooses to incite and pull communities farther apart.
ADL Releases New Information On Holocaust Museum Shooter And Reactions From White Supremacists
New York, NY, June 11, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today released new details on the background and activities of white supremacist James Von Brunn, the longtime neo-Nazi and anti-Semite who allegedly carried out the shooting attack at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
The League also released reactions from white supremacists and anti-Semites, who are praising the alleged shooter as a martyr and hero, with some even predicting more attacks against Jewish targets.
The newly released information on the League's Web site includes:
* An analysis of Von Brunn's writings, including the violent strain that runs through them;
* His belief that the economic crisis was created by the Jews;
* His latest writings, in which he admits financial problems, identifies himself as a lone wolf, and talks about killing "the enemy" (Jews);
* His connections to other white supremacists
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White Supremacist Shooting at U.S. Holocaust Museum Shows Where Spread of Hatred Can Lead
New York, NY, June 10, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said today's shooting at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in which a white supremacist and anti-Semite opened fire on a security guard before being critically wounded himself, "reminds us in the starkest way where the spread of hatred can lead."
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:
The shooting at the United States Holocaust Museum, in which a security guard was critically wounded, is a very sad and tragic event which reminds us, as the Museum itself does every day, in the starkest way, where the spread of hatred can lead.
The shooter, James Von Brunn (also known as James Wennecke Brunn), is a longtime white supremacist and anti-Semite. He has published an anti-Semitic book, "Kill the Best Gentiles." He has created an anti-Semitic Web site, which he called "The Holy Western Empire." He was arrested and imprisoned in 1981 for using a sawed-off shotgun to try to take Federal Reserve Board members hostage on the grounds that Jews control the nation's banking system.
Brunn's evil attack, at the very place that was created to remember and teach about evil in the world, is an immediate reminder that words of hate matter, that we can never afford to ignore hate because words of hate can easily become acts of hate, no matter the place, no matter the age of the hatemonger.
We express our support to the family of the victim of the attack. We recommit ourselves to expose and counter hatred in our society so that horrible events such as the shooting at the Holocaust Museum will no longer be a part of the fabric of our democracy.
Gains By Far-Right Groups In Europe 'Distressing'; Hungarian Jobbik Party Promotes Anti-Semitism in Police Union
New York, NY, June 9, 2009 … In the wake of European parliamentary elections in which far-right groups in Hungary and Austria made significant gains, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said it was "deeply distressing" that the blatantly anti-Semitic parties received so many votes, and called on European leaders to ensure that "anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry never again gain a foothold in Europe."
The right-wing ultranationalist parties Jobbik of Hungary and the Freedom Party of Austria received 15 percent and 13 percent, respectively, of the vote in their countries. Three of Hungary's 22 European Parliament seats will be held by Jobbik, whose leader recently wrote to a Hungarian Jew, "We have raised our heads and refuse to tolerate the terror of your kind. We will recapture our homeland!"
"While these parties made only marginal gains, the fact that so many Europeans gave a vote of confidence to their openly anti-Semitic and racist messages is deeply distressing," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "It is especially troubling in Austria and Hungary, where recent polling has shown there is a climate for acceptance of anti-Semitic attitudes among a broad swath of society.
"It is imperative that European leaders do not remain silent, but speak out and reject the hateful and bigoted worldview of parties of the far-right and their supporters," Mr. Foxman said. "Anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry must never again gain a foothold in Europe."
The vote came as the Jobbik party entered into a cooperation agreement with the TMRSZ police trade union, a move that deepened concerns about the prevalence of anti-Semitism in the Hungarian National Police Department. While an internal investigation has referred the matter to the public prosecutor's office, ADL is urging the Hungarian government to take immediate steps against the blatant anti-Semitism of some among the leadership of the Hungarian police.
In a letter to Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai, ADL said it was "shocked to learn that the TMRSZ police trade union advocated anti-Semitism as 'the duty of every Hungarian patriot' and called on its 5,000 members to 'prepare for armed battle against the Jews' in a recent edition of its newsletter."
"Such statements from any sector of society are reprehensible. From a police-associated organization they must also be considered dangerous," said Mr. Foxman. "Whether such violent anti-Semitism is shared by few or many of the police union's members, the effect on Hungary's Jewish community can only be to call into question the commitment of the police to protect all law-abiding people in Hungary, regardless of ethnicity or religion."
ADL's February 2009 European poll showed that 67 percent of Hungarian respondents agree with the statement that "Jews have too much power in the business world," and 40 percent believe that "Jews are more loyal to Israel than to Hungary." In Austria, 36 percent agree that "Jews have too much power," and 47 percent believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel.
President Obama At Buchenwald Bears Witness To Reality Of The Holocaust
New York, NY, June 5, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said that the visit and comments by President Barack Obama at the Buchenwald concentration camp served the two important purposes of showing what the teaching of hate can lead to, and bearing witness to the awful reality of the Holocaust.
"As fewer and fewer survivors remain, it becomes terribly important for a President of the United States to speak as Mr. Obama did on the scene of the annihilation of the Jews," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and a Holocaust survivor.
"The image of the president standing at Buchenwald with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel sends a powerful message about the importance of remembrance, about the commitment to stand against evil, and to fight against genocide wherever it appears."
Obama's Speech To Muslim World Is 'Groundbreaking' But Misses Opportunities On The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
New York, NY, June 4, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today reacted to President Barack Obama's speech to the Arab world in Cairo, calling it "groundbreaking and honest" in speaking to the Muslim people. However, the League said the President missed an opportunity to put into historical context the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and expressed concern about how his message ultimately would be received across the Muslim world.
Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director issued the following statement:
President Obama's speech to the Muslim world in Cairo was groundbreaking and honest, touching on many important issues -- human rights, education, democracy, the need to deal with Islamic extremists -- with candor. He issued a clarion call for recalibrating America's relationship with the Muslim world through constructive outreach and dialogue. Speaking directly to the Muslim people, he broached issues that have never really been addressed to the Arab world before now. We share the President's genuine quest for respect, tolerance and peace.
Regarding the Israelis and Palestinians, it would have been important to hear the President put the conflict into its proper historical perspective -- six Arab nations attacked Israel from day one and the occupation of Palestinian land was a product of Israel's wars of self-defense. While strongly reiterating the importance of America's relationship with the State of Israel and articulating Israel's right to exist, President Obama missed the opportunity to address the misperceptions in the Arab world and to make clear that the Palestinians would have had a state had they accepted the United Nations resolution in 1948.
While he made strong statements against anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, it should have been made clear that Israel's right to statehood is not a result of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. We are disappointed that the President found the need to balance the suffering of the Jewish people in a genocide to the suffering of the Palestinian people resulting from Arab wars.
We are willing to give the President's approach a chance to work and we are waiting to hear a response from the moderate Arab states. It will be interesting to see how the Muslim world reacts to the speech.
Obama In Cairo: An Error of Omission
Op-Ed By Abraham H. Foxman
New York, NY, June 4, 2009 -- In an otherwise insightful and balanced address in Cairo, President Barack Obama made one egregious error which plays into the hands of the most extreme elements of the radical Muslim world.
In the course of his remarks, the President, appropriately, addressed a number of issues about Israel and Jews which Muslims need to deal with. Included were references to anti-Semitism, to Holocaust denial, and to terrorism against Israeli civilians. He also called on Muslims to accept Israel's legitimacy, in my view, one of the most important things the President had to say.
Unfortunately, in doing so he did it in a way that, ironically, gave fodder to the many in the Arab world who argue against the legitimacy of Israel.
He said, speaking of America's ties to Israel, that it is based on the "recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied." He then went on to talk about anti-Semitism in Europe for centuries which "culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust."
It is good that the President addressed these themes but it sends the wrong message to base Israel's legitimacy simply or essentially on this suffering. The Arab world for decades has argued that Israel was an illegitimate entity imposed on the Arab Middle East by the Europeans who, they claimed, were trying to atone for the murder of six million Jews on European soil. The Arabs argued, Why should they pay the price for what the Europeans did to the Jews.
It is a phony argument which is not sustainable because the Jewish claim to Israel doesn't rest on the Holocaust, even if that tragedy played a role in the climate surrounding discussions about the idea of a Jewish state. Israel's legitimacy rests on the unbroken connection of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, a physical connection, a religious connection, a cultural connection, an existential connection. It is hardly too much to say that the Jewish people would not exist today as a people had we not held hope alive for 2,000 years about the return to Zion. In other words, there was Herzl before there was the Holocaust.
It is no accident that when the Zionist movement early in the 20th century was considering other options for a Jewish home, all were rejected because Israel was the true Jewish home and only a movement aspiring to build a modern Jewish state in the Holy Land could gain the support of the Jewish people and could be sustained through an uphill struggle.
So here it was, that unique moment where the President of the United States had the ear of the Muslim world in a way that few, if any, have ever had, and he failed to drive home the critical point that, in fact, Israel was legitimate because it is the historic essence of Jewish peoplehood. If he had stated that clearly and honestly, that would have gone a long way toward addressing so many of the Muslim claims which are used not to accept Israel, not to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, not to see Israel as a permanent part of the region but as a colonial implant.
All of this comes at a time when the anti-Israel forces in the world see a window of opportunity, based on their reading of the changes in American Middle East policy, to transform the discussion about Israel in America the way they have succeeded in Europe and elsewhere around the world. That is why it is particularly disappointing that the President did not use this unique moment to clearly state the essence of why the Muslim and other attacks on Israel's legitimacy are false.
The President spoke very well when he said that, "America's strong bonds with Israel are well known," and "This bond is unbreakable." He'll need now to find another occasion to make clear that Israel is legitimate because of the Jewish people's historic connection to the land, not because of Jewish suffering in Europe.
ADL Condemns Shooting of American Soldiers at Army Recruiting Center in Arkansas
New Orleans, LA, June 2, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today strongly condemned the shooting of two uniformed American soldiers – one of whom was killed – at an army recruiting center in Arkansas. The suspect in the shooting, a U.S.-born convert to Islam, apparently targeted the soldiers because of what he believed the U.S. military "had done to Muslims in the past."
Cathy Glaser, ADL South Central Regional Director, issued the following statement:
The murder of one American soldier and the wounding of another in Arkansas may have been a tragic manifestation of violence on our shores triggered by the war on terrorism we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The alleged perpetrator, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, reportedly had a large arsenal of weapons in his car, and told police that he was angry about the killing of Muslims and "would have killed more soldiers had they been in the parking lot."
While there is no preliminary indication that Muhammad acted at the direction of any organized terror group, according to the FBI, he studied jihad during a trip to Yemen. We are concerned that he may be one more in a line of homegrown Islamic extremists, and urge federal investigators to be vigilant in rooting out his connections.
It is important in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy that we ensure that no one of the Islamic faith is blamed or singled out for hatred or prejudice based on the actions of this individual.
ADL Letter to Garry Trudeau: Doonesbury Comic Strip 'Maligns Judaism'
New York, NY, June 1, 2009 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today released the text of a letter to cartoonist Garry Trudeau concerning his Doonesbury strip of May 31, 2009:
Dear Mr. Trudeau:
We agree with the numerous people who are contacting us that Sunday's Doonesbury misquotes the Bible, maligns Judaism, and promotes a Christian heresy, all within eight panels. It reinforces age-old stereotypes about Judaism that have been the cause of much suffering and pain over the centuries, and which have been rejected by a variety of Christian denominations over the last decades.
Jesus' concern in the Gospels is with money-changers, not money-lenders. The money-changers converted the coins of the Roman Empire into the currency accepted by the Jerusalem Temple, as money-changers today convert dollars into Euros. To speak of money-lenders harkens back the stereotype of Shylock, when Jews were forced by Christians to engage in usury.
Christian teaching is clear: the God of the Old Testament is the same God as the God of the New Testament. Doonesbury's Reverend Sloan is guilty of promoting anti-Jewish stereotypes and biblical illiteracy. He owes both Jews and Christians an apology.
Shooter In Kansas Physician Killing Held Extreme Beliefs
New York, NY, June 2, 2009 … The man charged with killing a Kansas abortion doctor was not only a radical anti-abortion extremist, but also was an active member of anti-government extremist movements, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Scott Philip Roeder, 51, belonged to the anti-government extremist sovereign citizen and tax protest movements. The sovereign citizen movement believes that virtually all existing government in the United States is illegitimate and they seek to "restore" an idealized, minimalist government that never actually existed.
"Roeder's attachment to extreme causes extended beyond anti-abortion extremism," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "His extremism cross-pollinated between anti-government extremism and anti-abortion activism and led to violence and murder."
According to ADL's Center on Extremism, Roeder had focused considerable attention on Dr. George R. Tiller of Wichita in recent years, comparing him in messages posted on anti-abortion sites to Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi physician who performed inhumane experiments on Jewish victims in concentration camps during the Holocaust.
In 2007, Roeder posted a message on an anti-Tiller Web site, saying that Tiller "needs to be stopped before he and those who protect him bring judgement upon our nation." That same year, he posted a message on the Web site of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue in support of organized protests against Tiller. Roeder praised people he felt would "bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp."
Roeder was previously arrested in Topeka, Kansas in 1996 after deputies pulled him over for having a bogus sovereign citizen license plate on his vehicle and found bomb-making materials in his car. He was subsequently convicted of an explosives violation, though his conviction was ultimately overturned due to a technicality.
More information on the following related subjects is available on the League's Web site:
Anti-Semitic Incidents Decline for Fourth Straight Year in U.S., According to Annual ADL Audit
Jews #1 Religion Group Targeted for Hate
New York, NY, June 1, 2009 … The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States declined for the fourth consecutive year, according to newly issued statistics from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The League's annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, issued today, counted a total of 1,352 incidents of vandalism, harassment and physical assaults against Jewish individuals, property and community institutions in 2008, representing a 7 percent decline from the 1,460 incidents reported in 2007.
The Audit identified 37 physical assaults on Jewish individuals, 702 incidences of anti-Semitic vandalism, and 613 cases of harassment in 2008. They included acts against high-profile Jewish community institutions and communal properties, such as the repeated vandalism of the San Francisco Holocaust Memorial, and the desecration of dozens of graves at a Jewish cemetery in Chicago with swastikas and hate group symbols.
Of the total 1,352 incidents, 42 percent occurred at homes, private buildings or businesses, and 23 percent took place in educational establishments, including public and private schools and universities, according to the Audit.
"It is encouraging that the number of anti-Semitic incidents continues to decline, but the sheer volume of incidents reported and the violent nature of many of the physical assaults is a reminder that we cannot be complacent," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "Had law enforcement not thwarted the alleged terrorist bombing plot against synagogues in Riverdale, New York, it would have been a horrific anti-Semitic attack."
The 2008 Audit comprises data from 44 states and the District of Columbia, including official crime statistics as well as information provided to ADL's regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders. The Audit identifies criminal acts, such as vandalism, violence and threats of violence, as well as non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation, including hate propaganda, leafleting and verbal slurs.
"The Audit is one barometer of anti-Semitism," said Mr. Foxman. "The explosive expansion of the Internet and social-networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube has become a new frontier for anti-Semitism, and so anti-Jewish expression is hard to quantify in this environment. It's here today, gone tomorrow, and back the next day.
"In 2008, the financial crisis brought about an increase in rhetoric targeting Jews, with letters in newspapers and on Web sites blaming Jews for the misdeeds of a select few, with Bernard Madoff topping the list," added Mr. Foxman. "Hate groups and anti-Semites used the global economic downturn to breathe new life into old myths of greedy and money-hungry American Jews, and these took on a life of their own on the Internet and in the real world."
Anti-Semitic incidents last peaked in 2004, when the League reported 1,821 incidents in the U.S.
For reporting purposes, the Audit divides anti-Semitic incidents into three categories: Anti-Semitic Assaults, involving violence against Jewish individuals or those thought to be Jewish; Vandalism, such as property damage, cemetery desecration or anti-Semitic graffiti; and Harassment, including threats, slurs and activity by anti-Semitic hate groups:
• Assaults: A total of 37 anti-Semitic assaults were reported in 2008. The assaults included attacks with baseball bats and other weapons, punching and rock-throwing. In some cases, victims were hospitalized.
• Vandalism: There were 702 cases of anti-Semitic vandalism reported in 2008, up from 612 cases in 2007.
• Harassment: A total of 613 incidents of anti-Semitic harassment were reported in 2008. (In 2007, the categories of assaults and harassment were combined for reporting purposes, for a total of 761 incidents. In 2008, the combined total of assaults and harassment was 650).
"The bad news is Jews continue to be the number one religion group targeted for hate," said Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair. "The good news is there's a greater awareness within local Jewish communities that the potential for anti-Semitic activity should always be a concern. Communities have responded with heightened security and by partnering with law enforcement in an attempt to mitigate the threat."
Continuing a longtime trend, the states with the highest totals were those with large Jewish populations. The top four states accounted for 59 percent of the anti-Semitic incidents recorded by ADL.
The states with the highest totals were New Jersey (238, down from 247); California (226, up from 186); New York (207, down from 351); Florida (122, down from 127); Pennsylvania (97, down from 99); Massachusetts (52, down from 95); and Connecticut (38, down from 49).
The following are selected incidents of assaults, vandalism and harassment reported to ADL in 2008.
Assaults: Selected Incidents in 2008
• Suburban Philadelphia, PA: A Jewish student was struck with a baseball bat by a group of students, one of whom described himself as "Hitler, coming to kill all the Jews (January).
• Los Angeles, CA: A Jewish man was attacked by three assailants, who made anti-Semitic comments and robbed him (March).
• Jackson, NJ: A Hassidic Jew was punched in the face by a teen, while another teen took photos of the attack on his cell phone camera. The perpetrators were apprehended by police and admitted that they had targeted the victim because he was Jewish (May).
• Brooklyn, NY: Two Jewish men were assaulted in a public park by a group of attackers who made anti-Semitic comments, including, "Hitler is going to kill you all" (May).
• Kiamesha Lake, NY: Four Jewish men were assaulted by a group of attackers in a parking lot (August).
• Ft. Benning, GA: A Jewish soldier was the subject of anti-Semitic harassment and was beaten (September).
• New Haven, CT: A group of Jewish boys were pelted with rocks as the walked on the Sabbath (September).
• Prescott, AZ: A Jewish student was beaten up by a schoolmate after being asked if he was Jewish (September).
• Chicago, IL: A Molotov cocktail was hurled at a synagogue, which was not significantly damaged (December).
Vandalism: Selected Incidents in 2008
• San Francisco, CA: The San Francisco Holocaust Memorial was vandalized on two occasions in 2008. In the second incident, vandals defaced the memorial with "Israel, their blood is on your hands" in red spay-paint (January and December).
• New Brunswick, NJ: Nearly 500 gravestones were overturned in a Jewish cemetery (January).
• Norridge, IL: Fifty-seven graves in a Jewish cemetery were desecrated with neo-Nazi graffiti and Stars of David hanging from gallows (January).
• Brooklyn, NY: A swastika and anti-Semitic graffiti were spray-painted on a yeshiva school bus (February).
• Queens, NY: Eleven tombstones were defaced with swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti (February).
• Los Angeles, CA: Swastikas and neo-Nazi phrases were spray-painted on the gate of a Jewish school (March).
• Vashon Island, WA: A synagogue was broken into and defaced with graffiti reading "God hates Jews" (July).
• Washington, DC: A synagogue was vandalized, its floodlights smashed and an Israeli flag burned (July).
• Clearwater, FL: A public menorah was defaced with swastikas and anti-Semitic language (December).
Anti-Semitic Harassment: Selected Incidents in 2008
• San Antonio, TX: A man walking to a synagogue was harassed by a group of teens who said," We hate you, Jew" and "We're going to kill you, Jew." (February).
• San Francisco, CA: A Jewish high school student was harassed on a school bus by classmates who called him "Kike" and threw pennies at him (March).
• Fair Lawn, NJ: A victim's Facebook "wall" was defaced with a long anti-Semitic message, including, "U Jew I'm gonna fry U in my oven…" (March).
• Frontenac, MS: The neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement protested outside a Jewish film festival (June).
• Meredith, NH: A Jewish student was bullied by a classmate who called him "filthy Jew" and threaten to "shove him into a crematorium (June).
• Cleveland, OH: A Jewish individual was harassed by a co-worker who displayed Nazi symbols and expressed admiration for the Waffen SS (July).
• Sterling, IL: A Jewish student was harassed by classmates, who said "Why don't you jump in the oven like all the other Jews did?" and "If I had it my way I would kill you and all the other Jews (October).
• Erdenheim, PA: A Jewish person was harassed by a person who told her that Jews were responsible for the Wall Street meltdown and that "we've known since the beginning of time that the Jews are the problem" (November).
• Ft. Lauderdale, FL: A woman at an anti-Israel rally shouted at pro-Israel counter-protestors, "Go back to the ovens, you all need one big oven" (December).
• Brooklyn, NY: A Jewish family found a death-threat taped to their door. The note referred to their being Jewish (December).
Incidents on Campus
There were 85 anti-Jewish incidents reported on campuses across the country in 2008, up from the 81 reported in 2007.
Examples of 2008 campus anti-Semitic incidents include:
• Baylor University, Waco, TX: Swastikas were drawn near the dorm room of a student who had recently converted to Judaism (February).
• University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND: A student was harassed by fellow students with anti-Semitic slurs and was shot at with a pellet gun (April).
• University of California at Santa Cruz: A building was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti alleging that Jews were behind the 9/11 attacks (April).
• University of Oregon, Eugene, OR: Holocaust denier David Irving addressed students at an event sponsored by the Pacifica Forum (June).
• Saint Xavier University, Chicago, IL: A neo-Nazi group demonstrated outside a building where Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel was lecturing (September).
• Middlesex County College, Edison, NJ: Anti-Semitic graffiti was found on campus (October).
About the ADL Audit
The Audit identifies both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs. Compiled using official crime statistics, as well as information provided to and evaluated by ADL's professional staff by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders, the Audit provides an annual snapshot of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported.
This information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times June 6, 2009
To the Editor:
Ethan Bronner's analysis of the Administration's new Middle East policy cites two reasons why there is this new American pressure on Israel ("New Focus on Settlements," June 6). If Bronner is correct, and there is good reason to believe he is, it is important to expose the misguided U.S. thinking involved here.
Bronner says the Administration "wants to send a message to the Arab world that the previous eight years of siding consistently with Israel is over." This is an acceptance of propaganda about where the Bush administration was. Yes, they were great supporters of Israel, consistent with Israel's special relationship with the U.S. It was never, however, so one-sided even in Bush's famous speech in 2002 in which he called for a Palestinian speech. What about the road map and Annapolis? There is nothing one-sided there. In fact, American policy has not been based on zero sum game approaches, but how both can win. So the notion that now America has to make up on this to the Arab world is chimerical and ultimately won't impress the Arabs who still think of the conflict as a zero-sum game
The second reason he cites as to why the U.S. has focused on Israel is because that is where it has leverage--"given the American backing of Israel, it can push Israel to live up to its commitment far more easily than it can persuade Hamas to abandon violence." We have seen this kind of thinking before, particularly during the Carter Administration. It will only lead to three negative results: unnecessary tension between two allies, the US and Israel; no progress in Israeli-Arab disputes; and a questioning by moderate Arabs of US commitment to deal with Iran, the real threat to their security.
Israel has made offers of peace, concessions on settlements, and a Palestinian state before. It will do so again. The Administration needs to focus its efforts on changing the fundamental attitude of Arab rejection of Israel's legitimacy which remains the core of the problem.
Sincerely,
The Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
Santa Barbara News-Press
Santa Barbara, CA June 1, 2009
To the Editor:
This is re: "Conflict threatens academic freedom," William I. Robinson's May 31 guest commentary.
On Feb. 9, the Anti-Defamation League sent a letter to Professor Robinson after being contacted by a student from one of his classes. The student was concerned about an e-mail the professor sent to his Global Studies Class on Jan. 1 titled "Parallel Images of Nazi's and Israeli's."
In addition to a series of photographs comparing Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto, Professor Robinson wrote a lengthy anti-Israel diatribe about the situation in Gaza. We believe the tone and extreme views he presented were intimidating to students. It also was apparent his e-mail was not related to his course, which focused on Latin America.
Our letter clearly stated that we recognize Professor Robinson's right to academic freedom and free speech. Protecting free speech is one of the cornerstones of ADL's mission. We also stated our concern that he may have violated Faculty Codes of Conduct by sending an e-mail to his students that was unrelated to the course.
The ADL does not condemn those who disagree with us on Israel, and we surely do not stifle debate. We never called for action against Professor Robinson.
The issue is not academic freedom. We believe the issue is one of intimidation of students and the abuse of university communications to promote one's personal opinion. It is extremely unfortunate for the university and the Santa Barbara community that Professor Robinson continues to wage this battle in the press with so much misinformation.
Sincerely,
Cyndi Silverman
Regional Director, Santa Barbara
Anti-Defamation League
Garry Trudeau
Doonesbury.com June 1, 2009
Dear Mr. Trudeau:
We agree with the numerous people who are contacting us that Sunday's Doonesbury misquotes the Bible, maligns Judaism, and promotes a Christian heresy, all within eight panels. It reinforces age-old stereotypes about Judaism that have been the cause of much suffering and pain over the centuries, and which have been rejected by a variety of Christian denominations over the last decades.
Jesus' concern in the Gospels is with money-changers, not money-lenders. The money-changers converted the coins of the Roman Empire into the currency accepted by the Jerusalem Temple, as money-changers today convert dollars into Euros. To speak of money-lenders harkens back the stereotype of Shylock, when Jews were forced by Christians to engage in usury.
Christian teaching is clear: the God of the Old Testament is the same God as the God of the New Testament. Doonesbury's Reverend Sloan is guilty of promoting anti-Jewish stereotypes and biblical illiteracy. He owes both Jews and Christians an apology.
Sincerely,
The Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
The Boston Globe May 18, 2009
To the Editor:
The Short Answer to Jeff Jacoby's question - ``Are hate crimes any worse than others?'' (Op-ed, May 17) - is: Yes. Jacoby missed the point of the legislation.
Hate crime offenders target entire communities because of personal and immutable characteristics, with a goal of intimidation. Their victims experience twice as many injuries and four times more trips to the hospital.
It is only when an individual commits a crime based on biased beliefs and intentionally targets another for violence that this law would be triggered. The Supreme Court got it right in 1993 when it unanimously upheld Wisconsin's law. Jacoby's concern about double jeopardy is similarly misplaced, since the Supreme Court ruled dual prosecutions constitutional in 1959.
This legislation would allow, for the first time, the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute certain bias-motivated crimes - including those motivated by sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. It would fill a void in places where state law is inadequate, and provide additional resources to states where the funding and expertise are lacking.
Virtually every major law enforcement organization in the country has endorsed this legislation. They believe, as we do, that this law would improve the criminal justice system's response to these devastating crimes.
Sincerely,
Robert O. Trestan
Eastern States Civil Rights Counsel
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times May 12, 2009
To the Editor:
"An Agenda for Mr. Netanyahu" (editorial, May 12) unfairly puts too much onus on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel for progress in Middle East issues. This can be summed up by your statement "Just think what might happen if he declared an end to settlement construction and an early return to substantive final status negotiations."
What a short memory you have. Israel has taken initiatives for peace on several occasions in recent years — the unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon, the Camp David offer of a Palestinian state to Yasir Arafat, the unilateral withdrawal from and dismantling of settlements in Gaza, and former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's recent settlement proposal to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. None of these actions produced even minor moves toward peace from the other side; indeed, they led to greater Islamic radicalism.
That is not to say that Israel has no obligations. It does, and we are convinced that when the time is ripe, Israel once again will demonstrate its interest in peace through concessions. To minimize the obstacles on the Palestinian side and to play down this history of Israeli steps is to inappropriately set Israel up as the scapegoat if peace should not emerge in rapid order.
Sincerely,
Glen S. Lewy
National Chair
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
Ann Arbor News May 8, 2009
To the Editor:
As you may know there was an instance of vandalism of property that occurred on April 16, a few blocks from the University of Michigan Law School. Several of the cars that were damaged were defaced with swastikas and foul language and the word "Jews" used as an epithet.
Words and symbols are powerful weapons, particularly to provoke extreme emotions. White supremacists and radical hate groups use their symbols as part of their cultural armor to decorate their bodies and separate themselves from the general public and to get a rise from other people. They revel in reactions.
Their tattoos and icons can convey tremendous meaning and significance in a compact, immediate and recognizable form. Hate symbols instill fear and insecurity.
The Anti-Defamation League understands the devastating power of hate symbols. As the most respected private authority on extremism and domestic terrorism, ADL understands that good information is crucial in the fight against hate. We should never ignore hatred, bias and bigotry.
At every opportunity, we must bring this ignorance out into the open and decry its existence. Whether we see swastikas or nooses or the KKK written on rocks or paper or cars we must come together and be ready to act against that kind of hatred. Only when we are vigilant and responsive and looking out for each other can we become a caring community of peace and humanity. When one person is attacked, we are all victims.
Sincerely,
Betsy S. Kellman
Michigan Regional Director
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
St. Petersburg Times April 24, 2009
To the Editor:
Senate Bill 318 is in no way intended to diminish the great works of William Shakespeare. Rather, the bill's purpose is to remove from Florida's usury law out-of-context references to Shylock, which have the effect of fostering anti-Jewish stereotypes and anti-Semitism.
Due to the age-old canard of Jews as greedy money-lenders, references to "Shylock" or "Shylocking" in a usury statute are particularly offensive. These terms based on the character from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice have been used to fossilize and perpetuate the stereotypes of the evil Jew as powerful, cunning, money-hungry, and inhuman. The character has been historically used as a vehicle of anti-Semitism.
Consequently, the combination of these harmful terms within the context of a usury statute plays on the worst stereotypes of Jews and can only serve to foster anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League applauds the long overdue removal of these harmful terms from Florida's criminal usury statute.
Sincerely,
Andrew L. Rosenkranz
Florida Regional Director
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
New London Day, CT April 24, 2009
To the Editor:
Scott Ritter seems to make light of the belief that Iran aspires to acquire nuclear weaponry and claims it is Israel's interest, not America's, that drives U.S. policy. (Paul Choiniere's blog titled 'Is U.S. public getting fooled again, this time about Iran?' appeared April 23 in The Day online.)
Iran is a destabilizing force in the Middle East. It would be reckless to treat as mere rhetoric its threat to 'wipe Israel off the map.' Iran's nuclear ambitions have alarmed Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states.
Some prominent foreign policy experts in this country, Democrats and Republicans alike, have created 'United Against Nuclear Iran,' www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com. They warn against Iran's march toward nuclear weapons capability and of the threat such capability poses.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, on behalf of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, recently referred to 'concerns about possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program.' These countries, not just Israel, have concerns.
It is easy to dismiss Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hate speech as ranting, and his Holocaust denying as ignorance. But nuclear weapons in the hands of a hate-spewing leader who craves dominance of a region vital to our national security is frightening.
Sincerely,
David Waren,
Connecticut Regional Director
Joel Abramson,
Connecticut Board Member
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times April 21, 2009
To the Editor:
Your editorial gets it wrong in two areas.
First, injecting the issue of Gaza in response to the outrageous attack by the Iranian president on Israel's very legitimacy as a nation, as the editorial does, plays into and gives credibility to the same tactic used by the extremists. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his ilk aren't interested in questions about particular Israeli behavior. They simply want Israel to disappear. Your failure to keep your eye on the ball weakens us all in the fight against such hatred.
Similarly, when despite Mr. Ahmadinejad's behavior, which proved how right the Obama administration was in refusing to attend the Geneva meeting, you still insist that the United States should have been there, it makes us wonder what it will take to get you to acknowledge the need to take a clear moral stand against evil.
This is hardly a theoretical question because, as Iran gets closer to a nuclear weapon, the United States will need clear, unequivocal thinking against the greatest evil in the modern world.
Sincerely,
Abraham H. Foxman
National Director
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
Boulder Daily Camera, CO April 12, 2009
To the Editor:
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) applauds Sen. Mark Udall's leadership (Guest Opinion, April 12) in the fight for the passage of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (the Matthew Shepard Act).
Hate crimes are message crimes, which serve not only to terrorize individual victims, but the entire communities to which they belong. Boulder has seen the ugly, tragic consequences of hate crimes far too often in the past few years.
ADL has advocated for a federal hate crimes law for 10 long years, and we are hopeful that with Sen. Udall's help, the law will finally become a reality this year. Now is the time to send a louder and stronger message of what we will accept in our communities and how we will hold those who act on hate accountable for their crimes. Sen. Udall deserves our thanks and our support in making this issue a priority.
Sincerely,
Amy M. Stein
Community Director, Boulder
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times June 6, 2009
To the Editor:
Ethan Bronner's analysis of the Administration's new Middle East policy cites two reasons why there is this new American pressure on Israel ("New Focus on Settlements," June 6). If Bronner is correct, and there is good reason to believe he is, it is important to expose the misguided U.S. thinking involved here.
Bronner says the Administration "wants to send a message to the Arab world that the previous eight years of siding consistently with Israel is over." This is an acceptance of propaganda about where the Bush administration was. Yes, they were great supporters of Israel, consistent with Israel's special relationship with the U.S. It was never, however, so one-sided even in Bush's famous speech in 2002 in which he called for a Palestinian speech. What about the road map and Annapolis? There is nothing one-sided there. In fact, American policy has not been based on zero sum game approaches, but how both can win. So the notion that now America has to make up on this to the Arab world is chimerical and ultimately won't impress the Arabs who still think of the conflict as a zero-sum game
The second reason he cites as to why the U.S. has focused on Israel is because that is where it has leverage--"given the American backing of Israel, it can push Israel to live up to its commitment far more easily than it can persuade Hamas to abandon violence." We have seen this kind of thinking before, particularly during the Carter Administration. It will only lead to three negative results: unnecessary tension between two allies, the US and Israel; no progress in Israeli-Arab disputes; and a questioning by moderate Arabs of US commitment to deal with Iran, the real threat to their security.
Israel has made offers of peace, concessions on settlements, and a Palestinian state before. It will do so again. The Administration needs to focus its efforts on changing the fundamental attitude of Arab rejection of Israel's legitimacy which remains the core of the problem.
Sincerely,
The Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
Letters to the Editor
Santa Barbara News-Press
Santa Barbara, CA June 1, 2009
To the Editor:
This is re: "Conflict threatens academic freedom," William I. Robinson's May 31 guest commentary.
On Feb. 9, the Anti-Defamation League sent a letter to Professor Robinson after being contacted by a student from one of his classes. The student was concerned about an e-mail the professor sent to his Global Studies Class on Jan. 1 titled "Parallel Images of Nazi's and Israeli's."
In addition to a series of photographs comparing Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto, Professor Robinson wrote a lengthy anti-Israel diatribe about the situation in Gaza. We believe the tone and extreme views he presented were intimidating to students. It also was apparent his e-mail was not related to his course, which focused on Latin America.
Our letter clearly stated that we recognize Professor Robinson's right to academic freedom and free speech. Protecting free speech is one of the cornerstones of ADL's mission. We also stated our concern that he may have violated Faculty Codes of Conduct by sending an e-mail to his students that was unrelated to the course.
The ADL does not condemn those who disagree with us on Israel, and we surely do not stifle debate. We never called for action against Professor Robinson.
The issue is not academic freedom. We believe the issue is one of intimidation of students and the abuse of university communications to promote one's personal opinion. It is extremely unfortunate for the university and the Santa Barbara community that Professor Robinson continues to wage this battle in the press with so much misinformation.
Sincerely,
Cyndi Silverman
Regional Director, Santa Barbara
Anti-Defamation League
Garry Trudeau
Doonesbury.com June 1, 2009
Dear Mr. Trudeau:
We agree with the numerous people who are contacting us that Sunday's Doonesbury misquotes the Bible, maligns Judaism, and promotes a Christian heresy, all within eight panels. It reinforces age-old stereotypes about Judaism that have been the cause of much suffering and pain over the centuries, and which have been rejected by a variety of Christian denominations over the last decades.
Jesus' concern in the Gospels is with money-changers, not money-lenders. The money-changers converted the coins of the Roman Empire into the currency accepted by the Jerusalem Temple, as money-changers today convert dollars into Euros. To speak of money-lenders harkens back the stereotype of Shylock, when Jews were forced by Christians to engage in usury.
Christian teaching is clear: the God of the Old Testament is the same God as the God of the New Testament. Doonesbury's Reverend Sloan is guilty of promoting anti-Jewish stereotypes and biblical illiteracy. He owes both Jews and Christians an apology.
Sincerely,
The Anti-Defamation League