August 12, 2016 Introduction and Overview of the Guide
Anti-Semitism and The Merchant of Venice: A Discussion Guide for Educators (Grades 10-12) is a tool for teachers presenting The Merchant of Venice to their students. This guide is not intended as an exhaustive study of the play. Rather, it is a supplement intended to guide an exploration of the problematic issue of anti-Semitism as part of the broader discussion of the play.
The initial sections of this guide provide important…
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Letters to the Editor
Poughkeepsie Journal
To the Editor:
Recent letters published in the Poughkeepsie Journal utilize spurious claims and wild conspiracies to viciously attack Israel and question the U.S. relationship with the Jewish state (“ Police brutality in America mirrors current events in Israel,” July 31; “Israel lobby remains power danger to US,” Aug. 1).
It is absurd to suggest that Israel is responsible for the actions of…
The following letter appeared in The New York Times on August 6, 2016. Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
To the Editor:
Re “Fatah Makes Public Claim That It Killed 11,000 Israelis” (Aug. 5):
Sadly, celebrations of hatred, violence and terrorism are not anything new to Fatah. Just a few days ago, the Fatah media bureau website featured a caricature depicting a stereotypical bearded and hooknosed Jew lighting the fuse under a bomb that was aimed at Sunni and…
The following letter appeared in the New York Jewish Week on July 27, 2016 Letters to the Editor
New York Jewish Week
To the Editor:
We need to set the record straight on several points raised in a recent letter taking issue with the Anti-Defamation League’s efforts to advocate for the fair treatment of African-Americans at the hands of police (“Critical Of #BlackLivesMatter,” Letters, July 22).
First of all, ADL has not endorsed the Black Lives Matter movement…
July 28, 2016 1. David Duke has been active in the white supremacist movement for over 40 years. In 1974, he founded the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Recognizing that he could gain more attention by recasting his racism in more palatable terms, Duke shed his Klan robes and in 1981 founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP). Though its ideology mirrored the Klan, he presented the group as “primarily a white rights lobby…
by: Kenneth Jacobson | July 27, 2016 The Times of Israel Upon hearing the initial report that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was asking the Arab League to sue Great Britain for its Balfour Declaration of 1917, I thought this must be a satire of the sort put out by The Onion. I was wrong as it turned out. Apparently, Abbas is serious. So let’s treat his initiative seriously.
The Balfour Declaration, a statement by the then Foreign Secretary of Great Britain, Lord Balfour,…
July 14, 2016 Most police enter the profession with the best reasons: They want to protect people who can’t protect themselves, give back to their communities and secure justice. To help law enforcement professionals stay true to their core values, ADL and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) created a powerful program, Law Enforcement and Society (LEAS), in 1999. LEAS spurs law enforcement professionals today to reflect on their mission.
The program traces the changing role of…
by: Rabbi David Sandmel | June 05, 2016 The Times of Israel The General Conference of United Methodist Church recently concluded its quadrennial gathering, which this year was held in Portland, Oregon. I and many others in the Jewish community, not to mention many Christians as well, were pleased with the outcome of a number of votes on resolutions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Inter alia, the Church rejected resolutions calling for divestment or for investment screens…
May 27, 2016 In April, ADL sent a letter to G4S recognizing its public statement that its decision to sell its business in Israel was unrelated to pressures from BDS campaigns. In the public statement, G4S said it “reiterates that it does not support the anti-Israel boycott by BDS or any other group.”
This letter was sent following consultation with sources, including in Israel, who indicated that BDS has not been a motivating factor in G4S’s decision. Our…
Letters to the Editor
Boulder Daily Camera
To the Editor:
Tom Mayer highlights the Palestinian perspective on Israel's establishment 68 years ago ("Hear about the Nakba," Daily Camera, May 17). He mischaracterized it as an "unrectified political crime." Mayer omitted important facts and the complexities of the conflict:
• Jewish connection to the land of Israel goes back nearly four millennia. It is the cornerstone of Jewish life — embedded in prayer, ritual and…
Letters to the Editor
The Dallas Morning News
To the Editor:
Re: “Transgender battle — Patrick draws boos, again calls for superintendent’s ouster,” Thursday news story.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s rhetoric was filled with untruths as he advocated against the Fort Worth ISD policy, which allows transgender students to use restrooms in accordance with their gender identity. Patrick’s assertion about student safety is fictional. There simply is no…
by: Jinnie Spiegler | May 13, 2016 Education Week How is social and emotional learning (SEL)--which is now an established and critical part of the school experience--connected with anti-bias education? If we want to help young people understand bias and work on social justice, what does SEL bring to the table?
According to Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), social and emotional learning is "the process through which children and adults acquire…
The following letter was written in response to an op-ed that appeared in the New Jersey Jewish News on April 28, 2016. Letters to the Editor
New Jersey Jewish News
Dear Editor:
Jared Silverman’s commentary mischaracterizes the issue and underscores the very reasons the Anti-Defamation League continues to educate and advocate for a compassionate response to the refugee crisis.
By conflating refugees with migrants and immigrants, Silverman confuses the issues and undermines…
Letters to the Editor
The Washington Free Beacon
To the Editor:
Adam Kredo’s article, “ADL Pursuit of Meeting with Anti-Israel Activists Proves Fruitless,” (April 26) distorts ADL’s role in responding to a protest last week and misrepresents our offer of dialogue with the left-wing Jewish activist group, IfNotNow, when they held a protest in the lobby of the building where ADL’s offices are located.
Kredo’s portrayal of “entreaties for a…
April 15, 2016 APRIL 17, 2016, Washington, D.C.
Thank you for that kind introduction, and thank you all for welcoming me here today.
In many ways, I am an unlikely person to be head of ADL…or to be head of a Jewish organization. See, I’ve spent most of my career in business or in government – creating companies, building brands, innovating business models, driving economic value and achieving social benefit, … all this took place far away from the organized…
June 10, 2016 What’s it like to be a Jew in Norway? Frankly, it’s complicated.
With a population of less than 2,000 Jews, Norway is a place where “Jew” is a curse used frequently against Jewish schoolchildren. Yet it’s also a society where Jewish life proceeds freely, and the Norwegian government works to end anti-Semitism.
“We’re not finished with anti-Semitism in Norway,” says Rabbi Joav Melchior, rabbi of the Jewish Community of Oslo. …
by: Robert Trestan | March 24, 2016 The Times of Israel There is plenty of blame to go around when it comes to Janet Mock’s decision to cancel her “Redefining Realness” talk at Brown University this week. Ms. Mock, a transgender best-selling author, canceled her talk following pressure from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) to reject the invitation due to Brown Hillel’s involvement.
SJP cannot have it both ways — advocating to muzzle a speaker…
February 09, 2018 In February 2018, Arthur Jones emerged as the likely Republican nominee for U.S. Representative in Illinois' 3rd Congressional district. The vocal white supremacist and Holocaust denier is running unopposed for the Republican nomination, and will face incumbent Representative Dan Lipinski or challenger Marie Newman in the general election.
Jones, a long-time neo-Nazi, has repeatedly run for elected office, always unsuccessfully. He has been active in several…
by: Jonathan A. Greenblatt | March 16, 2016 New York Daily News On many occasions in recent years, the Anti-Defamation League I lead has spoken out as politicians, celebrities and other public figures tried making a point about a controversial subject by invoking the Holocaust. The analogy has shown up inappropriately in countless discussions of public policy because it is the most available historical event illustrating right versus wrong.
Abortion? It was said to be an “ongoing…
September 27, 2010 Jewish Voice for Peace is the largest and most influential Jewish anti-Zionist group in the United States. Despite the neutral tone of its name, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) counts among its objectives an end to U.S. aid for Israel (because of Israel's "repressive policies") and the success of boycott and divestment campaigns against Israel.
In the past few years, JVP has become a leader in the American anti-Israel movement and has assumed a particularly visible role in…