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Why Is the Media Attacking the ADL for Fighting Antisemitism?
Illustrative: Pro-Hamas protesters in front of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City’s Upper East Side neighborhood. Source: X/Twitter
If you’re someone prone to antisemitic views of the world, and want a source you can reply on to consistently affirm your biases — without resorting to fringe extremists like David Miller or “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”-like conspiracy theories — you’d likely turn to the Guardian, the outlet where respectable Judeophobic and Israel-phobic readers can safely turn without fear of social opprobrium.
The most recent dog whistle parading as “speaking truth to power” is an article by Tom Perkins which, following in the long tradition of Chris McGreal, warns of the dangers posed to the American public by organized Jewry.
The piece (“Anti-Defamation League ramps up lobbying to promote controversial definition of antisemitism”, May 15), is riddled with distortions and smears, beginning in the headline’s assertion that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism is “controversial.”
The claim, as you can see here, is belied by the number of countries, law enforcement agencies, universities, public bodies, and international institutions, which endorse IHRA. This includes 37 (democratic) countries, 320 non-federal governments (including state, regional, provincial, municipal and county bodies), 320 universities, and a total of 865 entities across the world.
The IHRA definition is generally only “controversial” among those who wish to use Israel-Nazi analogies, and call for the destruction of the Jewish State, with moral impunity.
The article’s opening paragraph reads like it was generated by an AI tool designed to mock Guardian bias over the issue:
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has spent record amounts lobbying for bills opponents say are meant to punish criticism of Israel and target Jewish peace and Palestinian rights groups, marking a shift in strategy over the last several years. [emphasis added]
First, we should note the important context that the ADL is the largest mainstream Jewish organization in the US, and in fact, has been criticized by many for its progressive agenda on issues such as DEI, (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).
Perkins appears to define the ADL’s efforts to fight antisemitism by promoting the adoption of IHRA (a non-legal definition which contains multiple caveats and qualifications, and does not define criticism of Israel as antisemitic) as “punishing criticism of Israel.”
Perkins informs readers that the ADL is “on pace to spend nearly $1.6m this year based on its first quarter expenditures” to advance IHRA and its other domestic policy agendas. However, the very Federal tax document which “reveals” the ADL’s budget for lobbying shows that their agenda centers around fighting domestic extremism, and other issues which aren’t controversial.
In fact, the ADL’s lobbying efforts, per the tax document cited, highlights their lobbying for bills to fight “global white supremacy” several times, while nothing is mentioned about Islamist or Palestinian extremism.
The only mentions of Israel in the document are “Support for the Abraham Accords and the historic normalization process between Israel and countries in the region” and “Support for H.Res.92 – Recognizing Israel as America’s legitimate and democratic ally and condemning antisemitism”.
To observe that the ADL’s lobbying is not laced with a “right-wing” or anti-Palestinian agenda in a profound understatement.
The article then takes direct aim at IHRA.
Though the Guardian is typically supportive of anti-hate legislation, when it comes to Jews, they take a different view.
Perkins repeats Guardian talking points about how IHRA would limit freedom of speech when he writes about a proposed bill, called the Antisemitism Awareness Act. The Act would “require that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights take into consideration … IHRA … when reviewing or investigating complaints of discrimination based on race, color, or national origin…”.
Though Perkins claims the bill is “opposed by groups and politicians across the political spectrum,” the bill had 61 co-sponsors, including 15 Democrats, and recently passed the House of Representative with an overwhelming majority of 320 to 91.
Moreover, those who understand the US political system would know that the country’s Constitution includes what’s arguably the most robust protection of speech in the world. So, any bill passed by Congress which runs afoul of First Amendment protections of free expression would be overturned by the courts.
Perkins also demonstrates bad faith when he misrepresents the IHRA definition as including the “labeling Israel a racist state” as antisemitic.
In fact, the definition only defines “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” as antisemitic. The difference is profound. Accusing Israel of being racist is not considered antisemitic, while claiming that the state has no right to exist, because Zionism is intrinsically racist, is defined by IHRA as antisemitic.
The Guardian’s efforts to scare readers about organized Jewry’s efforts to “punish” mere “criticism of Israel” is based on a deceitful portrayal of IHRA.
The journalist also writes that the ADL often falsely attributes “support for terror” to anti-war and ceasefire rallies by Jewish groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). However, to describe the anti-Israel campus rallies as anti-war is an inversion of reality. As we’ve demonstrated, the rallies have included explicit antisemitism, as well as speeches and chants expressing opposition to Israel’s existence, and supportive for terror attacks.
One leader of the Columbia University protest literally said that the overwhelming majority of Jews (that is, ‘Zionists’) “don’t deserve to live.”
Finally, the most important issue regarding ADL’s lobbying and advocacy is ignored by the Guardian reporter: the tsunami of antisemitism in America following the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023.
There were 8,873 recorded antisemitic incidents across the United States in 2023, representing a 140% increase from 2022. This is the highest number on record since the ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979. (This mirrors the dramatic increase of antisemitic incidents in the UK since Oct. 7.)
Graphic from ADL’s annual audit of antisemitism.
Given that the dramatic increase in anti-Jewish racism was largely inspired by hatred of Israel and pro-Hamas/pro-Palestinian activism, it’s not surprising that the Guardian would publish a piece attempting to discredit the Jewish organization trying to fight this scourge. Though the Guardian is a large institution, almost all of their reporters, editors, and columnists are united in their refusal to come to terms with the fact that pro-Palestinianism is a vector for antisemitism.
Adam Levick serves as co-editor of CAMERA UK – an affiliate of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA), where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Why Is the Media Attacking the ADL for Fighting Antisemitism? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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A pro-Israel rally at the University of Toronto was headlined by Columbia University professor Shai Davidai
Around 200 people gathered for a pro-Israel demonstration at University of Toronto’s downtown campus at King’s College Circle—which was the site of one of Canada’s largest pro-Palestinian encampments during May […]
The post A pro-Israel rally at the University of Toronto was headlined by Columbia University professor Shai Davidai appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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‘Not Welcome’: New Pro-Hamas Campaign Aims to Abolish Hillel Campus Chapters
A statue of George Washington tied with a Palestinian flag and a keffiyeh inside a pro-Hamas encampment is pictured at George Washington University in Washington, DC, US, May 2, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Craig Hudson
The campus group National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) is waging a campaign to gut Jewish life in academia, calling for the abolition of Hillel International campus chapters, the largest collegiate organization for Jewish students in the world.
“Over the past several decades, Hillel has monopolized for Jewish campus life into a pipeline for pro-Israel indoctrination, genocide-apologia, and material support to the Zionist project and its crimes,” a social media account operating the campaign, titled #DropHillel, said in a manifesto published last week. “Across the country, Hillel chapters have invited Israeli soldiers to their campuses; promoted propaganda trips such as birthright; and organized charity drives for the Israeli military.”
It continued, “Such actions reveal Hillel’s ideological and material investment in Zionism, despite the organization’s facade as being simply a ‘Jewish cultural space.’”
DropHillel claims to be “Jewish-led,” although only a small minority of Jews oppose Zionism, and the group has been linked to and promoted by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters.
Hillel International has provided Jewish students a home away from home during the academic year. However, NSJP says it wants to “weaken” it and “dismantle oppression.”
The idea has already been picked up by pro-Hamas student groups at one college, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, according to The Daily Tar Heel, the school’s official student newspaper. On Oct. 9, it reported, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) unveiled the idea for “no more Hillel” during a rally which, among other things, demanded removing Israel from UNC’s study abroad program and adopting the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. Addressing the comments to the paper days later, SJP, which has been linked to Islamist terrorist organizations, proclaimed that shuttering Hillel is a coveted goal of the anti-Zionist movement.
“Zionism is a racist supremacist ideology advocating for the creation and sustenance of an ethnostate through the expulsion and annihilation of native people,” the group told the paper. “Therefore, any group that advocates for a supremacist ideology — be it the KKK, the Proud Boys, Hillel, or Heels for Israel — should not be welcome on campus.”
The #DropHillel campaign came amid an unprecedented surge in anti-Israel incidents on college campuses, which, according to a report published last month by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), have reached crisis levels.
Revealing a “staggering” 477 percent increase in anti-Zionist activity involving assault, vandalism, and other phenomena, the report — titled “Anti-Israel Activism on US Campuses, 2023-2024” — painted a bleak picture of America’s higher education system poisoned by political extremism and hate.
“As the year progressed, Jewish students and Jewish groups on campus came under unrelenting scrutiny for any association, actual or perceived, with Israel or Zionism,” the report said. “This often led to the harassment of Jewish members of campus communities and vandalism of Jewish institutions. In some cases, it led to assault. These developments were underpinned by a steady stream of rhetoric from anti-Israel activists expressing explicit support for US-designated terrorists organizations, such as Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and others.”
The report added that 10 campuses accounted for 16 percent of all incidents tracked by ADL researchers, with Columbia University and the University of Michigan combining for 90 anti-Israel incidents — 52 and 38, respectively. Harvard University, the University of California – Los Angeles, Rutgers University New Brunswick, Stanford University, Cornell University, and others filled out the rest of the top 10. Violence, it continued, was most common at universities in the state of California, where anti-Zionist activists punched a Jewish student for filming him at a protest.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post ‘Not Welcome’: New Pro-Hamas Campaign Aims to Abolish Hillel Campus Chapters first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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‘Muslim for Trump’ Launches Initiatives in Key Battleground States, Says Candidate Will Bring ‘Peace’ to Gaza
Former US President Donald Trump is seen at a campaign event in South Carolina. Photo: Reuters/Sam Wolfe
The “Muslims for Trump” organization has officially launched initiatives to help elect Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to the White House, arguing that he would be more likely to end the war in Gaza than Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
In a statement released on Monday, the group said it will focus on recruiting Muslim voters in key battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. The organization both praised Trump for his supposed “peace-focused” approach to ending the war in Gaza and condemned Harris for helping facilitate a so-called “genocide.”
“After meeting with President Trump, it was clear to me he is the right leader for Muslims to get behind,” Rabiul Chowdhury, co-founder of Muslims for Trump and former co-chair of the “Abandon Harris Movement,” said in a statement.
Chowdhury added that during his discussions with Trump, the former president vowed to “ending the escalation of wars and bringing peace to war-torn regions.” In contrast to Trump’s promise to stop the “bloodshed” in Gaza, he claimed, Harris has “recklessly pushed us toward World War III.”
Chowdhury, a self-described “peace advocate,” urged the Muslim community not to fall victim to supposed “misinformation” campaigns by the media and Democrats that paint the former president as hostile to immigrants. He claimed that the former president’s focus is on “ending war, not dividing families through false immigration claims.”
Samra Luqman, chair of the Michigan chapter of Muslims for Trump, underscored the need to punish the Biden administration for what he described as supporting a “genocide” in Gaza.
“The goal of this election is to hold the Biden administration accountable for a genocide. No amount of fear mongering or scare tactics will persuade my community into forgiving the mutilation, live-burning, and genocide of over 200,000 people,” he said.
According to data produced by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, roughly 40,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began last October. Israel has said that its forces have killed about 20,000 Hamas terrorists during its military campaign.
Israel says it has gone to unprecedented lengths to try and avoid civilian casualties, noting its efforts to evacuate areas before it targets them and to warn residents of impending military operations with leaflets, text messages, and other forms of communication.
On the organization Muslims for Trump’s official website, it claims that the Abraham Accords, a series of historic, Trump administration-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several countries in the Arab world, helped stabilize the Middle East. It also says that had Trump not lost the 2020 presidential race, the so-called “genocide” could have been prevented.
“Under Trump’s leadership, the Abraham Accords were brokered, fostering peaceful relations between Israel and several Arab countries. Supporters might argue that Trump’s diplomacy prioritized peace and stability in the Middle East, reducing the likelihood of large-scale conflicts like genocide,” the group wrote.
Over the course of his campaign, Trump has repeatedly touted his support for the Jewish state during his singular term in office. Trump has boasted about his administration’s work in fostering the Abraham Accords, promising to resume efforts to strengthen them if he were to win November’s US presidential election.
Harsh US sanctions levied on Iran under Trump crippled the Iranian economy and led its foreign exchange reserves to plummet. Trump and his Republican supporters in the US Congress have criticized the Biden administration for renewing billions of dollars in US sanctions waivers, which had the effect of unlocking frozen funds and allowing the country to access previously inaccessible hard currency.
Trump also recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic region on Israel’s northern border previously controlled by Syria, and also moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognizing the city as the Jewish state’s capital.
Despite Harris’s repeated efforts to woo Muslim voters, polling data indicates that the demographic has made a dramatic swing away from the Democratic Party. Polling data from the Arab American Institute reveals that Trump slightly edges Harris among Muslim voters by a margin of 42 to 41 percent. A report from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) shows that Green Party candidate Jill Stein leads Harris and Trump with Muslim voters in the key swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona.
The post ‘Muslim for Trump’ Launches Initiatives in Key Battleground States, Says Candidate Will Bring ‘Peace’ to Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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