I rubbed my eyes with incredulity when I read the bizarre statements emanating from Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, one of the most powerful American Jewish organizations, whose principal mandate is to combat anti-Semitism. A few months ago, I was drawn into a heated dispute with Greenblatt after criticizing a kumbaya address he delivered to J Street students, which included implicit criticisms of Israeli government policy and a failure to urge J Street to cease demonizing Israel and canvassing the U.S. government to intensify pressure against the Jewish state. Instead, he should have encouraged them to engage in the battle against the mushrooming anti-Semitism proliferating on campus. Greenblatt responded that he was "impressed" with these students and felt that they were "the future Jewish leaders of our community." More recently, Greenblatt appears to have entirely lost the plot and has behaved as though he remained employed by the Obama administration. He was entirely out of line in his condemnation of the Republican platform as "anti-Zionist" for omitting reference to a two-state solution. One can disagree about a two-state policy. But for an American Jewish organization, which must remain bipartisan and should be concentrating on anti-Semitism, to issue such a statement breaches all conventions. It is totally beyond the ADL's mandate to involve itself in such partisan political issues. Greenblatt is clearly obsessed with the subject of being "open-minded" and tolerant of anti-Israeli groups. He made the extraordinary statement that, while disagreeing with the boycott, divestment and sanctions groups that promote anti-Semitism, he considers that they are "animated by a desire for justice" and we should "acknowledge the earnestness of their motives." One is tempted to remind him that Islamic fundamentalists are also sincere in their beliefs and equally animated by their perverted concept of justice. But the final straw is Greenblatt's deepening association with the Black Lives Matter movement. Jews have a long and proud tradition of direct engagement in the civil rights campaign, in the course of which some even sacrificed their lives, making it all the more regrettable that, since 1967, many African-American groups have been in the forefront of campaigns against Israel. The ADL mandate is to combat all forms of racial discrimination and endorsing legitimate civil rights groups is commendable. However, the recent manifesto released by Black Lives Matter has clear anti-Semitic overtones. This should not come as a surprise to anyone. Last year, BLM endorsed a Black Solidarity Statement with Palestine which demonized Israel, accusing it of "ethnic cleansing," apartheid, etc., and called on "black and U.S. institutions and organizations" to engage in BDS. Black Lives Matter is engaged in anti-Israeli demonstrations, teach-ins and other activities, even including visits to Israel to protest the "ethnic cleansing" and "occupation." It likened New York police behavior to alleged Israeli brutality against Palestinians, and in Atlanta, asserted that police shootings of African-Americans were a result of Israeli counterterrorist training of American police forces. Yet despite pleas and warnings, Greenblatt continues to associate the ADL, and by implication the Jewish community, with the Black Lives Matter movement. Incredibly, in his J Street address, he stated that "making sure that Black Lives Matter" is among the "struggles of our time." The ADL did criticize Black Lives Matter's accusations of genocide and apartheid and its promotion of BDS against Israel. But Greenblatt played down and marginalized the anti-Semitic elements as the initiatives "of a small minority of leaders" within the organization, while stating that "Israel is far from a principal focal point in the more than 40,000 word document." While contending that the ADL did not "endorse" or have a formal relationship with Black Lives Matter, Greenblatt refused to break with it. Thus he insists that the ADL continue to endorse and promote the group's domestic educational material in its curriculum resources and family discussion guides in schools and elsewhere, because its concerns "are critical civil rights issues that merit attention." To the best of my knowledge, Greenblatt also failed to publicly condemn the vicious lies and anti-Israeli statements made by Black Lives Matter members who visited Israel last month. For any mainstream Jewish organization to continue to provide legitimacy to a purported civil rights body that includes BDS and anti-Semitism in its policies on the grounds that only "a small minority of leaders" are responsible is unconscionable. For an organization like the ADL, whose principal mandate is to combat anti-Semitism, it is sheer lunacy. Furthermore, when Congressman Hank Johnson, a black Democrat notorious for his hostility toward Israel, referred to Jews living in Judea and Samaria as "termites" -- a foul anti-Semitic expression -- Greenblatt, who was willing to condemn the Republicans for not relating to a two-state policy, saw fit to merely tweet: "This is an offensive and unhelpful characterization. Demonization, dehumanization of settlers doesn't advance peace." Such a timid response to this outrageous expression from American Jewry's purported premier body designated to combat anti-Semitism is incomprehensible. This is taking place at a time when anti-Semitism and demonization of Israel on American campuses, under the guise of human rights, has mushroomed, with some campuses being described as cesspools of anti-Semitism. That is the principal issue on which the ADL (and other major Jewish organizations) should now be concentrating. It is also disconcerting that, aside from the Zionist Organization of America, Jewish organizations have shrouded themselves in a curtain of silence and failed to dissociate themselves from this craven ADL approach. Incredibly, Greenblatt actually directed his ire at the ZOA rather than the anti-Semites. He proclaimed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, "We are a civil rights organization. The ZOA is not. We are an organization focused on combating anti-Semitism and bigotry. The ZOA are not." The ADL even castigated a Jewish newspaper for having the effrontery to publish ZOA chief Mort Klein's justified criticism of the ADL for failing to sever its links with Black Lives Matter, claiming that such remarks amounted to "hate speech." In other words, the ADL had the chutzpah to declare that the ZOA (which has played a major role in combating the demonization of Israel and anti-Semitism) had no right to express its dissent or criticism of the ADL. This is a fundamentally serious issue for American Jewish leadership. If mainstream Jewish organizations remain silent and fail to criticize the ADL's reprehensible behavior, they will be ushering in a new era in which American Jewry's hard fought achievements and status in society will be severely undermined. If the head of the ADL continues engaging in such partisan politics and refuses to prioritize his organization's principal resources toward fighting anti-Semitism, he should step down. Otherwise, the $50 million-plus ADL budget is likely to be dramatically reduced when supporters and donors recognize that the organization purporting to combating anti-Semitism is primarily focusing its efforts on seeking liberal acceptance by pursuing progressive agendas, denouncing conservatives, combating Islamophobia and becoming engaged in universal issues and social justice at the expense of its core mandate. These issues are handled by human rights bodies that individual Jews can support as they deem appropriate. The ADL's central mandate must be to combat anti-Semitism, which is today largely manifested in the demonization and delegitimization of Israel. If it elects to abandon this objective, it does not warrant Jewish communal support. Isi Leibler's website can be viewed at www.wordfromjerusalem.com. He may be contacted at ileibler@leibler.com.
Has the ADL lost its way?
מערכת ישראל היום
מערכת "ישראל היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
