New York, NY, March 6, 2026 ... The Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) Task Force on Middle East Minorities issued the following statement regarding the military conflict in Iran: At this moment of profound uncertainty for Iran, we stand in solidarity with the Iranian people and their tireless struggle for their rights, freedom, and dignity. Iran is not the regime that has controlled it for the last 47 years. For more than two millennia, Iran was one of the world's great…
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The ongoing military conflict in Iran has the potential to reshape the country, not least for its diverse range of religious and ethnic minorities. While Iran has a deep and ancient history of religious and ethnic pluralism, the 1979 revolution set in motion almost five-decades of systematic persecution against the country's minority communities and Iranian women in the name of the Islamic Republic. Since 1979, the Islamic Republic has imposed a theocratic order…
The Anti-Defamation League’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities is deeply troubled by the recent sentencing of Remy Rowhani, a respected Qatari Baha’i, to five years in prison. This decision raises concerns about the treatment of religious minorities in Qatar. Mr. Rowhani, a distinguished citizen who has long served his country, appears to have been singled out because of his faith. We urge the Qatari authorities to consider reversing the sentence and take meaningful steps to…
ADL has been closely tracking how states are addressing antisemitism and supporting their Jewish communities. In 2024, ADL tabulated 9,354 antisemitic incidents across the United States – a 5% increase from 2023, a 344% increase over the past five years, and an 893% increase over the past decade. These numbers underscore the urgent need for state-level action. As highlighted in our first-of-its-kind Jewish Policy Index (JPI), our goal is to provide a tool that advocates, educators and…
White supremacists, antisemites and racists rally behind a woman who called a Black child a racial slur, helping her raise over $700K while spreading hate.
April 21, 2025 Letters to the Editor Jewish News Syndicate To the Editor: Dr. Andrew Bostom and Morton Klein conflate facts and distort findings in their attempt to reach their preconceived conclusion that ADL is “hiding” data about antisemitism among Muslim communities (“ADL quietly purged data on European Muslim antisemitism,” April 18). Nothing could be further from the truth. Our surveys have always tracked this data, and our aim has always been to be fully…
A guide of best practices for school decision makers in their work to counter antisemitism in K-12 schools.
Use this collection of classroom activities about holidays and observances to enhance students' understanding of our multicultural society and world.
Teach students about the history of the N-word, its harm and impact and engage them in exploring school-based scenarios.
This discussion guide about the musical Parade will help middle and high school students and adults reflect upon and discuss the themes and artistic elements of Parade.
A common hand gesture that a 4chan trolling campaign claimed in 2017 had been appropriated as a symbol meaning "white power." Used by many on the right--not just extremists--for the purpose of trolling liberals, the symbol eventually came to be used by actual white supremacists as well. Caution must be used in evaluating instances of this symbol's use.
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School How Were Youth Involved in the Civil Rights Movement?
Throughout history, young people have stepped up and into leadership roles during different civil rights and social movements. This was never more evident than in the Civil Rights Movement, where young people were on the frontlines of the Montgomery bus boycotts, Freedom Rides and sit-ins. Given that student activism is on the rise again across the U.S., understanding how those young voices…
White supremacists, primarily on the West Coast, may use a two-handed hand sign consisting of one hand showing or flashing two fingers and the other hand showing or flashing three fingers. Together, they signify the number 23, a numeric symbol for W ("White"). This itself is often shorthand for the numeric symbol 23/16, which stands for "White Power." Additional Images:
One of the most popular white supremacist symbols is the numeric symbol 88, which stands for "Heil Hitler" (substituting letters for numbers, 88 means HH, i.e., "Heil Hitler"). It is thus not surprising that white supremacists occasionally attempt to display 88 as a hand sign. It is not a very common white supremacist hand sign, probably because it involves some dexterity and effort. Additional Images:
The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT), a large and violent racist prison gang, uses a hand symbol consisting of a raised index finger and raised ring and little fingers (or the reverse), signifying the numbers 1 and 2. Substituting letters for numbers 1 and 2 stand for A and B, or Aryan Brotherhood. Sometimes ABT members may use a two-handed variation in which one hand "throws up" one digit and the other hand (belonging to the same or a different person) "throws up" two digits, again signifying…
The Aryan Circle is one of the largest white supremacist prison gangs in the United States. Its primary hand sign consists of holding up the thumb and the middle, ring, and little fingers of one hand, signifying the numbers 1 and 3 (which stand for AC). One can also hold up the little finger and the middle and index fingers, plus the thumb.
ALTERNATE NAMES: Bolts Up, Bolts to the SkyThe largest white supremacist prison gang in Tennessee is Aryan Nations (a different group than the neo-Nazi group of the same name). Aryan Nations gang members use a hand sign they sometimes refer to as "bolts up" or "bolts to the sky," consisting of forming the hand into a pistol shape and pointing it upwards or outwards. Additional Images:
ALTERNATE NAMES: Bolts Up, Bolts to the Sky
Read more about Aryan Nations (hand sign - Tennessee prison gang)
The European Kindred is a large white supremacist prison gang based primarily in Oregon. Gang members often use a two-handed hand sign in which three fingers of one hand are spread to look like an E and two fingers of another hand are spread to resemble a K.
The handsign of the Hammerskins, a racist skinhead group, consists of two crossed forearms emulating the "crossed hammers" of the Hammerskins logo.
Alternate Names: Nazi Salute, Sieg Heil Salute, Fascist Salute, Roman Salute The Nazi or Hitler salute debuted in Nazi Germany in the 1920s to pay homage to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It consists of raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down. In Nazi Germany, it was often accompanied by chanting or shouting "Heil Hitler" or "Sieg Heil." Since World War II, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists have continued to use the salute, making it the most common white supremacist hand sign in…
Alternate Names: Nazi Salute, Sieg Heil Salute, Fascist Salute, Roman Salute
The Nazi or Hitler salute debuted in Nazi Germany in the 1920s to pay homage to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It consists of raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down. In Nazi Germany, it was often accompanied by chanting or shouting "Heil Hitler" or "Sieg Heil." Since World War II, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists have continued to use the salute, making it the most common white supremacist hand sign in the world.
The Nazi salute was one of a number of similar salutes adopted by fascist parties and movements across Europe in the interwar period. These salutes were often claimed to be based on an ancient Roman salute, but this does not appear to have been the case. However, people making such salutes today sometimes assert, typically insincerely, they are “Roman” salutes rather than “Nazi” ones. White supremacists have also adopted the term “roman,” as in “throwing a roman,” for the Nazi salute. In recent years, they have also created a typographical or emoticon version of the salute (see O-Slash Hitler Salute and Double Romans).