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The ADL’s turn away from civil rights was years in the making — Oct. 7 accelerated it

JL;DR SUMMARY The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), traditionally a stalwart in American civil rights advocacy, has shifted its focus to primarily addressing antisemitism, especially since the rise in antisemitic incidents following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Anti Defamation LeagueLgbtq+ RightsAmerican JewsHamas AttackCivil RightsJonathan GreenblattJewish AdvocacyAbortionPartnerships

Places mentioned

Georgia, United States
"The Anti-Defamation Leagues broad coalition that helped pass a hate crime law in Georgia at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement six years ago was a classic campaign for the organization, drawing together an alliance of civil rights groups with civic and business leaders to pass a landmark piece of liberal-minded legislation."
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
"After helping the ADL shepherd the bill through Georgias legislature, Robert Sills, a young Atlanta-based attorney, decided to apply for a job with the organization."
Israel
"At the same time, Jonathan Greenblatt, the organizations CEO, has said that the surge of antisemitism following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel has been forcing a retreat from the ADLs historic commitment to such work."
New York City, New York, United States
"Leadership Conference on Civil Rights CEO Maya Wiley appears with her husband, Harlan Mandel, who is Jewish, at a campaign stop during her 2021 run for mayor of New York City."
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
"Joe Berman, a Boston attorney who served on the national commission for 15 years, acknowledged that the 350-member body could be unwieldy and said Greenblatt persuaded them to turn power over to a more traditional 20-person board."
New York, United States
"Sherman Fabes, a spokesperson for the ADL, defended the organizations track record and said that even as it focuses more narrowly on antisemitism it recognizes that we cant do it alone."
North Carolina, United States
"North Carolina backed a law in the state."
Washington, Washington DC, United States
"When Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018, Greenblatt issued a statement warning about the risk to the future of civil rights, civil liberties, and our democracy and referenced LGBT rights, voting rights, and womens rights before raising an alarm about Kavanaughs demonstrated hostility to reproductive freedom."
Louisiana, United States
"Tyrrell County, Louisiana backed a law in the state."
Maryland, United States
"Free State Justice on an anti-masking law in Maryland."
Poway, California, United States
"Fabes noted that the organization tallied the highest number of antisemitic incidents on record in 2019 and then again in 2021 and 2022, and that the synagogue shootings in both Pittsburgh and Poway, California, predated Oct. 7."
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
"Steven Ludwig, a longtime regional board member in Philadelphia, seized on Greenblatts previous writing in his resignation letter over the summer."
California, United States
"Fabes noted that the organization tallied the highest number of antisemitic incidents on record in 2019 and then again in 2021 and 2022, and that the synagogue shootings in both Pittsburgh and Poway, California, predated Oct. 7."
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
"Fabes noted that the organization tallied the highest number of antisemitic incidents on record in 2019 and then again in 2021 and 2022, and that the synagogue shootings in both Pittsburgh and Poway, California, predated Oct. 7."
England, United Kingdom
"He added that the ADL only counted 2,596 out of more than 5,000 protests against Israel in 2024 as antisemitic."
Hong Kong
"There was also a push within the organization to categorize a wider range of speech as antisemitism, specifically speech targeting Israel."
Guangdong, China
"There was also a push within the organization to categorize a wider range of speech as antisemitism, specifically speech targeting Israel."

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Cairo Item ID 72883
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Retrieved 2026-01-16 05:30:49 UTC
Curated 2026-01-16 08:31:22 UTC