ADL's James Pasch: Taking on the Axis of Evil through lawfare

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with James Pasch, the Anti-Defamation League's vice president of litigation.

Pasch, is currently in Israel to meet with the plaintiffs in a massive lawsuit the ADL initiated against Iran, North Korea, Syria and Hamas, for their part in the October 7 massacre.

In a new strategy, the legacy Jewish organization's work in fighting antisemitism is moving to encompass lawfare and since the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, the ADL has filed more lawsuits than in all the years of the existence of the organization.

In this podcast, we discuss how the ADL and other legal organizations are being creative in repurposing laws and redefining terms. We also hear about the struggle to remain firmly inside the Constitution and Bill of Rights when taking on the campus protests that test the boundaries of Freedom of Speech. And we learn how the ADL is preparing for the next big wave of campus hate.

And so this week, we ask James Pasch, what matters now.

What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: James Pasch (courtesy)/ People hold US and Israeli flags as they gather before the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, outside a military base near Re'im, southern Israel, October 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

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