The group’s pathetic response to Trump’s hate speech proved once and for all that it is no friend to those fighting bigotry, anti-Semitism or far-right extremism.
Jonathan Greenblatt participates in the panel Building Coalitions to Fight Hate during the TAAF Heritage Month Summit at The Glasshouse on May 5, 2023 in New York City.
(JP Yim/Getty Images for the Asian American Foundation)
Donald Trump fascist rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend, it would seem, is exactly what a so-called leading civil rights group, particularly one supposedly fighting anti-Semitism, would wholeheartedly condemn.
The event happened soon reports that Trump expressed a desire for “the kind of generals that Hitler had.” It took place exactly in the same place as an the infamous Nazi rally 85 years ago. It was a campaign stop for a party that is keen on staging Project 2025a blueprint for fascist repression and violence against Jews, Muslims, Arabs, blacks, browns, immigrants, and queer and trans Americans. It coincided with the one-year anniversary of the Tree of Life synagogue massacre, when a white supremacist inspired by Trump’s racist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories committed the deadliest act of mass violence against Jews in US history.
And even if none of that happened, racist, anti-black, anti-Puerto Rican, anti-Semitic, anti-Palestinian and misogynist cuparvas spewed by Trump and his allies at the rally should horrify any group that claims to stand for basic human rights.
As Jews, we at IfNotNow know a Nazi rally when we see one, and so we followed what we believe to be our heritage duty by showing up last weekend to protest the gathering, along with comrades from various peace and justice movements, and liberation.
But one group was noticeably muted: the Anti-Defamation League, which calls himself “the world’s leading anti-hate organization” and historically considered by many to be the United States’ most important and respected voice in opposition to anti-Semitism. Instead, the ADL won’t even denounce Trump by name offering an abstract critique of “offensive jokes” at “political actions”.
That response—or the lack of it—should have been surprising. But this is just the latest evidence that the ADL has completely abandoned the civil rights part of its mission that has long been in tension with his advocacy of Israel is a contradiction that movements have noted for many years. These days, the organization led by CEO Jonathan Greenblatt seems to have one primary goal: to demonize those of us involved in the Palestinian human rights movement.
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Neither the ADL nor Greenblatt saw fit to offer even a word of condemnation for Trump’s praise of Hitler’s generals. When President Trump said he would blame american jews if harris wins election, adl tripped over himself to praise Trump before criticizing the former president’s phrases. In recent years, Greenblatt praised Elon Musk, Awarded Jared Kushner and continued to insist that students on college campuses are as big a threat as torch-wielding white nationalists.
To be clear, the ADL is far from alone in this regard. Many center-right and right-wing organizations have long since chosen to remain silent about MAGA extremists, or even join forces with them, because of their stance on Israel. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has welcomed Trump — and his major donors — with open arms while refusing to condemn his blatantly anti-Semitic remarks. Review on latest press releases The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations shows none of the condemnations of Trump’s anti-Semitism. The group saw fit to voice even the most critical criticism of the Israeli government from public figures such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumerand also attack those who dare to speak out against the genocide in Gaza.
It is time to firmly count the ADL among these groups.
Are the ADL and their ilk simply afraid to stand up to Trump, who has already made it clear he intends to blame the Jews if he loses? Are they cynically trying to credit a candidate they predict will win in November despite his neo-Nazi leanings? Or, worst of all, do they actually welcome the praise of fascism as long as it is not accompanied by criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies? Whatever the explanation, it is clear that these organizations have completely abandoned the cause of security for American Jews, just when we need it most – when a fascist is on the verge of retaking the presidency, having largely avoided punishment for attempted coup d’état.
This is the horrific result of decades of efforts by the ADL and other groups to place the defense of Israel at the center of Jewish American life, even as the Israeli government maintains and expands an apartheid system of legal, economic, and military rule over the Palestinians. As we can see, this not only makes Jews unsafe, but also puts them in even greater danger—in Israel, in the United States, and around the world.
That is why we recognize that Jews can only be truly safe in a world where we can all live free from violence and repression. Common security means security for black and indigenous peoples, people of color, queer and trans people, immigrants, Muslims, communities on the front lines of the climate crisis, those whose reproductive rights are under attack, and everyone else Trump and his far-right are against allies. And that means security for the Palestinians, including an end to the flow of US-made and funded weapons to the Israeli military, an end to the genocide in Gaza, and an end to the apartheid system that oppresses the Palestinians.
The ADL, by contrast, has undermined its own reputation by seeking the endorsement of Trump and his fascist friends. Wikipedia editors have stopped citing the ADL as a reliable source on anti-Semitism. An employee of the Biden administration told the journalist“What’s the point of the ADL if you’re not going to denounce it when it happens?”
As Greenblatt continues to side with the MAGA movement while attacking college students and anti-war activists, many of whom are Jewish, the ADL is increasingly seen for what it is: a laundry service for the reputation of Benjamin Netanyahu and his fascist cronies. Anyone seeking to combat anti-Semitism, fascism, and bigotry must once and for all end their partnership with or turn to the ADL for guidance.
The fight against fascism should be supported by well-resourced organizations like the ADL, not just a ragtag coalition of movements and organizations with a shared tenth of the budget. And yet, as the ADL abandoned its ostensible raison d’être, it is groups like IfNotNow that are filling the gap, advancing a credible analysis of anti-Semitism based on the fundamental reality that Jewish and Palestinian security are interconnected. In the run-up to a potential Trump presidency, and as Netanyahu escalates the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank and ignites a regional war in the Middle East, we invite our community to join us—to take stock, grapple with some tough questions, and fight together for security, freedom and a prosperous future for all.
Can we count on you?
The future elections will decide the fate of our democracy and basic civil rights. The conservative architects of Project 2025 plan to institutionalize Donald Trump’s authoritarian vision at all levels of government if he wins.
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