4180 Results

Hena Khan

Hena Khan is an award-winning author of picture books and middle grade fiction. Her middle grade novel Amina’s Voice was named a Best Book of 2017 by The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, NPR and others. The sequel, Amina’s Song, won the 2021 Asian/Pacific Award for Children’s Literature. Hena wrote the popular Zayd Saleem Chasing the Dream series, and More to the Story, a novel inspired by her all-time favorite book, Little Women. Hena’s acclaimed picture books include…

Author

Musa Abu Marzuq

Backgrounder

In detailing connections between the Richardson, Texas-based Holy Land Foundation (HLF) and Hamas, Attorney General John Ashcroft cited longtime Hamas operative Musa Abu Marzuq's (Marzook) early involvement in the HLF.

May 10, 2012

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign (BDS)

Backgrounder

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) is an international campaign aimed at delegitimizing and pressuring Israel, through the diplomatic, financial, professional, academic and cultural isolation of Israel, Israeli individuals, Israeli institutions, and, increasingly, Jews who support Israel’s right to exist.

May 24, 2022

The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development

Backgrounder

IntroductionThe Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), once considered the largest Muslim charity in the U.S., has been shut down by the government for funding Hamas. On May 27, 2009, a federal judge in Dallas handed down sentences ranging from 15 to 65 years in prison to five of the charity's founders and former fundraisers. A federal jury returned guilty verdicts on all 108 counts against the HLF and its five former officers on November 24, 2008. The federal government proved…

May 28, 2009

Questions, Complexities and Context: Insights into Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Backgrounder

Unpack and explore historical and contemporary developments, issues and challenges regarding Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the pursuit of peace. Founding of IsraelZionismAnti-ZionismThe Balfour Declaration: 1917The British MandateUnited Nations Partition Plan: 1947Founding of the State of Israel:1948NakbaIsrael-Arab / Israeli-Palestinian ConflictWar of Independence: 1948-1949The Green LineArab Economic BoycottSix Day War: 1967Yom Kippur War: 1973Lebanon War: 1982-1983First…

May 18, 2022

The Intifada: 1987-1990

Backgrounder

In December 1987, collective Palestinian frustration erupted in the popular uprising against Israeli rule known as the Intifada, or “shaking off.” At first a spontaneous outburst, the Intifada developed into a well-organized rebellion. Masses of civilians attacked Israeli troops with stones, axes, Molotov cocktails, hand grenades, and firearms supplied by Fatah, killing and wounding soldiers and civilians. Israeli troops, trained for combat, were not prepared to fight this kind of…

May 03, 2022

White Lives Matter

Backgrounder

The mission of ADL is to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.

March 11, 2022

Amy Feinman

As Vice President, Policy Counsel, Amy Feinman serves as a senior advisor and counsel to the National Affairs Division, and oversees a team of Policy Counsel, who provide strategic legal and policy-focused advice and guidance to the agency on core ADL priority issues, including countering antisemitism, extremism and cyberhate. Prior to assuming this role, Amy served as an area counsel for the northeast region, providing strategic civil rights advice and guidance to five regional offices…

VP, Policy Counsel

Gail Cohen

As Vice President of Leadership, Gail Cohen provides strategic direction and oversight of ADL’s governance structure and its national volunteer engagement bodies. Gail joined ADL in 2022 as Deputy Chief of Staff after an extensive corporate career in marketing and business development. She served as Vice President Business Development, L'Oréal Professional Products Division, focused on retail innovation and development. While at L'Oréal, Gail also led marketing for a…

VP, Leadership

Allegation: Israel’s Actions Against the Palestinians Can be Compared to the Nazis

Backgrounder

The murder of six million Jews and millions of others carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators was the largest recorded genocide in modern history. Absolutely no comparison can be made between the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the atrocities committed by the Nazis against the Jews. While one can criticize Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, in contrast to the Holocaust, there is not now, nor has there been, a significant Israeli ideology, movement, policy or…

November 18, 2021

Allegation: The United States Government Supports Israel Because of the Powerful “Jewish Lobby.” 

Backgrounder

U.S. foreign policy on Israel involves many complex issues, actors and considerations and cannot be ascribed to a “powerful Jewish lobby.”  As citizens of the United States, advocacy by American Jews is an appropriate exercise of American democracy and reflective of the Jewish community’s commitment to American democratic ideals. The American Jewish community’s active engagement in the political process is mirrored in the activism of other community…

November 18, 2021

Allegation: Israel is Guilty of “Pinkwashing” (and Other Washing) to Cover Up Actions Against Palestinians

Backgrounder

Israel is often unfairly accused of various forms of “washing” - including pinkwashing, greenwashing, and veganwashing, terms used to dismiss or deny characteristics of Israeli society that reflect its democratic and liberal values in an effort to delegitimize the State and its policies. “Pinkwashing,” a combination of the words “pink” and “whitewashing,” was originally coined by critics of corporations that marketed products and services…

November 18, 2021

2021 Israel-Hamas Conflict

Backgrounder

Description of the 2021 Israel-Hamas Conflict

November 18, 2021

Anti-Zionism

Backgrounder

Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism, the movement for the self-determination and statehood of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel. Anti-Zionism is often expressed, explicitly or implicitly in the rejection of Jewish nationhood and the right to self-determination; the vilification of individuals and groups associated with Zionism; and the downplaying or negation of the historic and spiritual Jewish connection to the land of Israel. Anti-Zionism is…

November 18, 2021

National Justice Party

Backgrounder

UPDATE: Following a series of compounding internal and leadership squabbles, the National Justice Party (NJP) dissolved in late 2023. ADL has not documented any NJP activity since the dissolution. However, the National Organization for Vital Action (NOVA), a splinter group comprised of some former members of NJP that formed in 2024, has taken its place. Key Points: The National Justice Party (NJP) was formed in August 2020 by a number of well-known white supremacists, most of whom attended the…

November 02, 2021

Gene Barskiy

As Vice President, Technology, Gene will be responsible for ensuring that ADL’s assets are secured, systems support our strategic goals and that our IT team provides top-notch service to our employees. Gene is a seasoned IT professional with extensive experience leading high-performance teams in both Fortune 1000 and mid-size private companies. He has a track record of implementing cloud-based systems, cybersecurity programs and leveraging technology to improve business decisions. …

VP, Technology

Allegation: Israel is Committing Ethnic Cleansing

Backgrounder

Some claim Israel is committing “ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinians. While there is no precise definition of ethnic cleansing under international law, the charge suggests that Israel is systematically working to rid its territory of Palestinians, including Israeli Arab citizens, through force or intimidation tactics in order to create a homogeneous society. This is a fundamentally inaccurate accusation. In recent decades, there have been numerous episodes of ethnic…

July 27, 2021

Allegation: If You Fight for Racial Justice in the U.S., You Must Join the Campaign Against Israel

Backgrounder

Some activists have presented the fight against Israel, and for Palestinians rights, as the same as the fight for racial justice in the United States. While it is understandable to attempt to make sense of international events through the prism of our own domestic context, the specifics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict do not lend themselves to exact comparisons with the American experience of systemic racial inequality. Distinct from issues in the United States, the root of the…

July 09, 2021

Allegation: Israel is an Apartheid State

Backgrounder

It is not uncommon today to see critics of Israel accusing it of being an apartheid state. Whether such a description is being used to describe Israeli policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, or towards Arab citizens of Israel, the label is inaccurate, offensive, and often used to delegitimize and denigrate Israel as a whole. Moreover, the use of this inaccurate and highly charged label is also counterproductive to resolving issues related to injustices…

July 08, 2021

Allegation: Israel is a Settler Colonialist Enterprise

Backgrounder

The term “settler colonialism” conjures historical memories of exploitative white European empires militarily invading lands in the Middle East, Asia and Africa[i], implanting their citizens in colonies through the use of force, subjugating the native and indigenous populations and stealing their natural resources. Many anti-Israel activists and academics use the term “settler colonialism” to describe the political and demographic changes over the last 150 years in…

July 08, 2021