Wikipedia has labelled the ADL as a source of misinformation and propaganda. According to the editor, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a great supporter of Israel. It should not be trusted for facts about anti-Jewish racism. They said that ADL wrongly labels fair criticism of Israel as “anti-Semitic.”
For ADL, this decision is a great hurdle. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has been known for defending civil rights. However, it also got a huge amount of money from the supporters of Israel. For many years, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has been seen as a trusted source of hate and extremism. But now the announcement of Wikipedia clearly highlights that more people are questioning, especially if the ADL can be true and unbiased of its good political connections. This change may open the eyes of people and they get to know how political ties can influence what organizations say and do.
ADL is famous for fighting anti-Semitism and far-right groups. But recently it faced criticism for its actions. Back in 1980, when ADL was started. At that time, people accused the organization of spying on left-wing and civil rights groups, especially those who were critical of Israel and the apartheid system in South Africa. Furthermore, in 2010, it also faced backlash for not supporting the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero in Manhattan. This opposition clearly showed that it had strayed from its original goal of fighting racism.
More recently, the ADL has pushed to make the controversial IHRA definition of anti-Semitism a part of the United States law. Last month, as more people in the US protested against Israel’s actions in Gaza, a new bill was passed that used the IHRA definition to restrict protests. This raises concerns about whether the ADL is still focused on defending civil rights as it once did, or if its priorities have shifted.
Now the ADL has not been fulfilling its duties and moved away from a serious and fair definition of anti-Semitism. Many people claim that this organization is now influenced by politics. Wikipedia editors also said that in the past ADL was known for its neutral action but now changed its focus, especially regarding Zionism. It calls for the creation of a Jewish state in historic Palestine.
The leader of this organization, Jonathan Greenblatt does not take the neutral decision but acts more like a political figure.
For instance, he played a major role in pushing out Claudine Gay, Harvard’s first Black female president, due to claims of anti-Semitism. Some, like Bernie Steinberg, a former leader at Harvard Hillel, criticized this move as using anti-Semitism to silence valid criticism of Israel.
Since October 7, the ADL has called protests with anti-Zionist slogans anti-Semitic. However, many of these protests are led by progressive Jews who disagree with Israel’s policies. Greenblatt’s view is that “anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.” This strategy of ADL clearly represents that this organization has shifted its attention and now takes a more politicized stance on the Gaza war.
The ADL’s use of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism is becoming the source of different complexities. Just because it often mixes the opposition of Israel with being anti-Semitic. It gives seven out of eleven examples that connect criticizing Israel to anti-Jewish hatred, which can be confusing.
Recently, the leader of this organization, Greenblatt has made controversial statements. He has called student protesters who are against Zionism “Iranian proxies” and compared the Palestinian scarf to a swastika, which many people find upsetting. He also showed great support for Elon Musk because of his anti-Semitism in 2022. However, this idea is not clear and seems more troubling.
After the October 7 attack, ADL greatly stood against Palestine and tried its best to defend Israel. This group also targeted the students’ protests. Their way of judging anti-Semitism greatly changed and it treats anti-Zionism as the same as anti-Semitism.
When faced with these criticisms, the ADL said it was an attempt to discredit them. They claim they will keep fighting against anti-Semitism despite the criticism.
