New York, NY, January 24, 2019 … The Anti-Defamation League’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities welcomed the passage of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (H.R. 31) by the House of Representatives. This bill is a critical piece of legislation to help support the safety of civilians in Syria, including ethnic and religious minorities, which are amongst the most vulnerable populations in the area. The bill imposes comprehensive sanctions on Syrian regime…

New York, NY, January 23, 2019 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) blasted as “shameful, illegal and immoral” today’s decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services granting an exemption to a South Carolina faith-based foster child program allowing it to openly discriminate against Jews, gay couples and others who don’t follow their faith. “It is shocking that the federal government is openly sanctioning discrimination against Jews, LGBTQ…

Right-wing extremists killed more people last year than in any year since 1995 New York, NY, January 23, 2019 … Right-wing extremists were linked to at least 50 extremist-related murders in the United States in 2018, making them responsible for more deaths than in any year since 1995, according to new data from the ADL. In its annual report on extremist-related killings in the U.S., the ADL’s Center on Extremism reported that at least 50 people were killed by extremists in…

New York, NY, January 7, 2019 ... ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt issued the following statement in response to U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib's (D-MI) recent tweet alleging dual loyalty by some members of Congress: Representative Tlaib's tweet regarding the pending bill on the Senate floor has been interpreted by some as suggesting that Jews or Members of Congress, such as the sponsors of the bill, are more loyal to Israel than to their own country. Whether or not this was her…

New York, NY, December 17, 2018 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today issued the following statement in response to an article in The New York Times Book Review, in which author Alice Walker offered an unqualified endorsement of a book by a British anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist. Statement by Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO and National Director: “We’re deeply disappointed that The New York Times Book Review would print author Alice Walker’s unqualified…

New York, NY, December 14 ... ADL's Task Force on Middle East Minorities condemns the recent arrest of over 100 Christians in Iran. The timing of the arrests follows a pattern of harassment that Iran has used in the past toward its religious minorities, intimidating them just weeks before their religious holidays, in this example just weeks before Christmas. According to reports, the arrests targeted Christian converts of Muslim backgrounds. This wave of arrests is seen as part of a…

New York, NY, December 14 … ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities welcomes Congress’s passage of the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act (H.R. 390) and President Trump signing this important bill into law. The Act, which passed both chambers of Congress with wide bipartisan support, ensures that U.S. humanitarian assistance in Syria and Iraq goes to ethnic and religious minority individuals and communities that are in greatest need,…

Cleveland, OH, December 10, 2018 … ADL today applauded law enforcement for thwarting a planned terror attack against the Jewish community in the Toledo, Ohio area. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Damon M. Joseph, 21, of Holland, Ohio was arrested and charged in federal court after planning an attack on a synagogue near Toledo. Joseph was charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Joseph was arrested Friday evening after he was alleged to…

Despite government claims, books continue to teach hatred against Jews, Christians, women, homosexual men New York, NY, November 19, 2018 … A comprehensive Anti-Defamation League (ADL) analysis of Saudi government-published textbooks has found that, despite the kingdom’s claims to the contrary, school textbooks for the 2018-19 academic year promote incitement to hatred or violence against Jews, Christians, women, and homosexual men. “Teaching Hate and Violence:…

New York, NY, September 13, 2018 … Following today’s overwhelming vote by the House of Representatives to pass the bipartisan Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2018 (H.R. 1911), ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan A. Greenblatt stated: We welcome the House of Representatives’ overwhelming vote today to approve the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2018.  Advancing this bill has been a top priority for ADL, as has…

New York, NY, November 19, 2018 … ADL today announced that it will recognize the achievements of The Honorable Gurbir Grewal with the 2018 ADL Blum-Kovler Nation of Immigrants Award at its Annual Summit on Anti-Semitism and Hate, Never is Now, on Monday, December 3 in New York City. The ADL Blum-Kovler Nation of Immigrants Award was established by the Judy and Peter Blum-Kovler Foundation to honor and recognize an individual or group’s contributions to fair and welcoming…

Washington, DC/New York, NY, November 15, 2018 … After two students were denied letters of recommendation for study abroad programs by University of Michigan faculty members attempting to make a political statement against Israel, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Academic Engagement Network (AEN) have developed a model policy to ensure that universities promote clear standards guiding such faculty conduct in the future. The new model policy offers suggested guidance to…

Speakers include the mayors of five large cities; top administration officials, Gold Star parent Khizr Khan New York, NY, November 14, 2018 … ADL and a diverse group of partners, will convene the Fall Summit for “Communities Overcoming Extremism: The After Charlottesville Project,” on November 28-30, 2018.  This national capacity-building project is focused on empowering communities with tools to combat the dramatic rise in extremism, intolerance, and political violence…

Award recognizes visionary leaders in the business community NEW YORK, November 14, 2018 … ADL announced today that Apple CEO Tim Cook will be the first recipient of ADL’s Courage Against Hate award for his work as a champion of unity, diversity, and social progress.  Cook is a leader who has demonstrated that the business community has a responsibility to make the world better for all people.  The award will be presented to Cook at ADL’s annual Never Is Now Summit…

New national data says hate crimes targeting Jews spiked nearly 40 percent New York, November 13, 2018 … ADL today said more must be done to address the divisive climate of hate in America after newly released FBI data showed hate crimes in the U.S. jumped 17 percent in 2017 with a 37 percent spike in crimes targeting Jews and Jewish institutions. The increase reported by the FBI mirrors the surge ADL found in its annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents. In its annual Hate Crime…

New York, NY, November 8, 2018 … ADL today announced the launch of a new task force focused on promoting the protection of minority communities in the Middle East. The ADL Task Force on Middle East Minorities will educate, advocate and elevate the issues challenging these important and all-too-often overlooked communities across the region, including religious, ethnic, sexual and gender minorities, and other groups who face governmental and societal repression and discrimination…

Second Woman in History to Assume Top National Volunteer Role New York, NY, November 8, 2018 … ADL today announced the election of Esta Gordon Epstein as Chair of ADL’s Board of Directors. A Boston native and longtime leader with both the national organization and in the New England region, Epstein becomes the second woman to assume ADL’s top volunteer role in the organization’s 105-year history. “We are truly blessed and fortunate to have Esta…

New York, NY, January 11, 2019 … ADL welcomed today’s overwhelming vote in the U.S. House of Representatives approving the bipartisan Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act, which would upgrade the role of the State Department’s global anti-Semitism envoy to ambassador level and impose a legal limit on the time in which any administration can leave this critical position unfilled. H.R. 221 was passed by the House in a floor vote of 411 to 1. …

Continuation of 2016 efforts targeting journalists includes physical threats against Jews; Soros invoked by far the most in harassing tweets New York, October 26, 2018 … Continuing what began during the 2016 presidential election, the members of far-right extremist groups and the so-called “Alt Right” have stepped up “online propaganda offensives” in the runup to the upcoming midterm elections to attack and try to intimidate Jews and especially Jewish…

New York, NY, October 23, 2018 … ADL today urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reject a waiver requested by the State of South Carolina that would allow federally funded foster agencies to deny applications of Jewish and other foster parents on the basis of religion. The waiver request was based on a local faith-based foster care agency, Miracle Hill Ministries, prospectively losing its federal funding because of the agency’s religious…