This Week’s Topline

Beyond the Podium: Jewish Identity, Antisemitism and the Olympic Games

As the world prepares for the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina, ADL’s education team takes this timely opportunity to explore Jewish athletes' participation in the Olympics. Jewish athletes have competed both in the diaspora and under the Israeli flag, and their participation has been marked by moments that celebrate Jewish identity and resilience, as well as moments of violence and profound antisemitism.

Explore classroom resources for ideas and information on how to include Jewish identity and experience in conversations about the Games. Such representation matters for Jewish students’ sense of belonging and for non-Jewish students’ understanding of diversity and presents an opportunity to counter antisemitic stereotypes.

This Olympics Special Section includes:

• The Holocaust & the Olympics
• International Conflict & the Games
• Identity & the Games

→ Read the Olympics Special Section

What’s News

New Social Media Platform Attracts Virulent Antisemites: The UpScrolled social media platform was launched last year in response to purported suppression of speech on other platforms. Following panicked and conspiratorial claims about changes to TikTok, UpScrolled’s userbase has exploded to 2.5 million. The site has become a haven for antisemites, extremists, foreign terrorist organizations, anti-Zionists and those looking to fight back against what some are calling “Jewish censorship” online. UpScrolled is an incubator project of Tech for Palestine (T4P). Read ADL’s report about UpScrolled.

Pushing For A Clear Focus On Security: Today, 82 U.S. Representatives, with ADL’s support, sent a bipartisan letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging clear, streamlined guidance for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). At a time of rising violence and hatred for houses of worship, NSGP is a vital tool that helps synagogues and other faith-based and community organizations strengthen security. The letter raises concerns with DHS’s updated Standard Terms and Conditions, which have created uncertainty for houses of worship interested in NSGP grants. The letter from these Members of Congress asks DHS to clarify the terms and conditions and waive those that do not directly relate to improving security. As ADL’s Lauren Wolman noted about that priority, “We are grateful for the bipartisan effort to ensure DHS requirements remain clear, consistent and focused on what matters most—helping at-risk nonprofits protect themselves from threats.” The letter was led by Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL), Max Miller (R-OH), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Gabe Amo (D-RI) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY). You can read the letter here.

“When they come for our Orthodox neighbors”: The latest edition of ADL’s extremely newsletter digs into how harassment campaigns targeting Orthodox Jewish communities represent a dangerous intersection of online hate and civic exclusion that threatens the fabric of American democracy. Harassers often cloak their antisemitism in seemingly legitimate concerns about safety, overdevelopment and welfare abuse while invoking classic antisemitic tropes about Jewish greed and secret control. ADL continues to advocate with tech companies like Google and Meta to address harms on their platforms; this article also explains simple steps that individuals can take to proactively protect themselves and their community. Read more.
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EVENT: Confronting Antisemitism in Healthcare: Gain insights from ADL experts alongside healthcare professionals and advocates working at the front lines — examining challenges, sharing strategies and highlighting how Jewish voices and allies are taking action across the field. Register now for this free online event on Feb. 11.
How big of a concern is this? Read an op-ed by Dr. Miri Bar Halpern and ADL's Sara Colb about how “Antisemitism in Healthcare Is a Public Health Crisis — and Must Be Treated as One.”

MAKING PROGRESS WITH ADL

Just weeks ago, ADL urged member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) to establish an annual Holocaust Remembrance ceremony, since that was not on the agenda this year. Resulting from our advocacy, today we celebrate that they agreed to officially observe a day commemorating the Holocaust in 2026.

This achievement comes at a critical time — ADL’s Global 100 survey reveals that one in five adults worldwide have never heard of the Holocaust, and fewer than half recognize its historical accuracy. The inclusion on the OAS agenda was made possible through our strong partnership with the missions of Argentina and the US, along with Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay. ADL’s Marina Rosenberg and Aykan Erdemir were in attendance to witness this historic moment. Our advocacy continues as we push for the next crucial step: institutionalizing this Holocaust commemoration as an annual observance. Watch a short video from Rosenberg on this OAS progress.

Social Spotlights

@ADL

Recent events have laid bare both the weakness and brutality of the Iranian regime, with reports indicating that as many as 40–50K people have been killed as it cracks down to suppress an ongoing popular uprising. In light of this, and the possibility of the Islamic Republic's collapse, ADL’s Ken Jacobson examines the impact the regime has had on the Iranian people, the Jewish people, and the world at large. Read more.

@JGreenblattADL

After being at the scene of the car ramming at Chabad headquarters @Lubavitch in Brooklyn, I'm thinking about how Jewish New Yorkers haven't had much respite from attacks on our community. In this fraught time, I appreciate how @NYPDPC not only leads @NYPDNews with dignity, but she's unabashedly Jewish. She recently affixed a mezuzah to the frame of her office door, signaling to all that she is proud of who she is. Jewish pride is invaluable to combating antisemitism and hate. Read more.

@ADLPhiladelphia

We had a packed house at the @weitzmanmuseum for a meaningful conversation with @afalkhatib of @rfpalestine and Andrew Goretsky of ADL Philadelphia. In a time where short slogans crowd the discourse, we were able to go further and deeper. We discussed the importance of safety, dignity, and prosperity of both Israelis and Palestinians. We also critiqued how many college campus protests can cross the line into antisemitism, stifling serious conversation or advancements for justice and peace.

@JGreenblattADL

I just finished observing Shabbat and appalled to read about the antisemitic mockery of U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen — his Jewish faith, his Shabbat observance — by DHS official Greg Bovino is disgraceful. The fact that Bovino felt comfortable expressing these views on a call with multiple prosecutors speaks volumes. Orthodox Jews are the most vulnerable segment of our community and need support, not slander, from DHS. News Link.