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THE ADL GOES QUIET ON SOME HATREDS  
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Danielle Bryant
March 4, 2025
New York Daily News
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_ Former ADL education director lays bare the dirty secret: "ADL has
long abandoned its stated mission of securing justice and fair
treatment for all. Instead, it shields Israel from criticism over its
decades-long oppression of the Palestinian people" _

Jewish Elders Protest Opening of Anti-Defamation League's National
Conference to Demand An End to Its Role in Facilitating Trump Rollback
of Civil Rights - New York City Jewish Elders released a 'report card'
failing the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), for its role in helping to
criminalize free speech and student organizing by falsely conflating
anti-Zionism with antisemitism
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This week, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
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speeches and corporate sponsorships, the truth is harder to stomach:
the ADL has long abandoned its stated mission of securing justice and
fair treatment for all. Instead, it shields Israel from criticism over
its decades-long oppression of the Palestinian people and
dangerously conflate
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critique with antisemitism, while giving cover to right-wing
extremists.

Historically, the ADL has positioned itself as a leader in civil
rights, partnering with schools, corporations, and lawmakers to shape
policies and educational programs. But as a former ADL education
director in Austin, Texas, I saw firsthand how the organization has
weaponized its influence and quietly stepped away from commitments to
justice.

The ADL’s No Place for Hate program was considered a gold standard
for anti-bullying education for decades. I believed in it. I worked
with students, teachers, and administrators across schools and
districts to address hate and bullying.

But while I was teaching students to stand up to hate, the
organization was doing the opposite.

I watched from the inside as the ADL erased racial justice from its
civil rights priorities, caved to pressure from conservative media for
being “too woke
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and quietly abandoned core education programs. The shift began with an
internal pause on its use of the word “racism”
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it sought a “new” definition (spoiler: they still don’t have
one
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Then, it removed “racial justice” from its portfolio altogether.

Rather than expand anti-bias education, it shut down a decades-old
initiative that helped students challenge discrimination. Then, it
removed more than 100 lesson plans that helped educators address bias
against LGBTQ, Muslim, and immigrant students.

In fall 2023, I was leading an intervention at a middle school after a
student had been flashing the Nazi salute in the hallways. The school
took it seriously — because that’s what we’d taught: don’t
normalize hate.

But in January, when Elon Musk made a Nazi salute in front of
millions? The ADL told the public to “take a breath
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This came just months after the ADL resumed advertising on X
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despite previously condemning the platform
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spreading hate speech. This selective application of values was also
made clear as I watched the ADL’s response to the unfolding crisis
in Gaza.

I was an ADL employee when Oct. 7 happened. The attack on Israeli
civilians was horrifying, but Israel’s response — one of the
deadliest
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assaults in history — has killed at least 48,000 Palestinians,
systematically destroyed Gaza’s schools
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and food and water supplies, and deliberately starved
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entire population.

I taught students how unchecked bias escalates into violence, even
genocide. I stood in classrooms explaining the Pyramid of Hate
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helping educators understand how small acts of bias, when left
unchallenged, can fuel mass atrocities.

Yet, when human rights groups
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experts [[link removed]] accused Israel
of genocide, ADL dismissed them, smeared human rights organizations
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Jewish and Palestinian voices calling for a ceasefire, and shielded
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government from accountability.

Weaponizing antisemitism for political purposes doesn’t make Jewish
communities safer — it makes them more vulnerable. By treating
criticism of Israel as a threat while excusing white supremacists and
hate groups, the ADL undermines the fight against antisemitism.

I told myself I could push for change from within alongside
colleagues. But when the ADL honored Jared Kushner
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his father-in-law fueled hate, emboldened white nationalists, and
helped the cruel family separation policy, I knew I couldn’t stay.

Then, watching them excuse Musk’s Nazi salute, I realized leaving
hadn’t been enough. I had to speak out.

An organization that picks and chooses when to fight hate cannot be
trusted to lead anti-bullying education. With President Trump
mainstreaming bigotry and attacking education, we cannot let anti-hate
efforts be led by an institution that has abandoned its own
principles. Fighting antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all oppression
must be a shared fight, not a selective one. Our communities deserve
better than lessons from an institution that prioritizes power over
justice.

_[DANIELLE BRYANT is a former ADL education director, classroom
teacher, and school administrator, currently a human rights
commissioner for the city of Austin, Texas, pursuing a Ph.D. in
educational and community leadership.]_

* ADL
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* Anti-Defamation League
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* anti-Semitism
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* Israel
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* Palestine
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* Jewish community
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* Elon Musk
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* Donald Trump
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* MAGA
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* GOP
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* Racism
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