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What Next | Daily News and Analysis

The Anti-Defamation League at War

Jan 9, 2024
Mari Cohen, associate editor at Jewish Currents, discusses the Anti-Defamation League's commitment to Israel and its impact on combating antisemitism. Topics include rise in hate incidents, controversies surrounding the ADL's fight against hate, complex identity of the ADL, ADL's relationship with Elon Musk and Twitter, and the implications of their data on anti-Semitism.
26:45

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The Anti-Defamation League's conflicting stance on criticizing Elon Musk's anti-Semitic incidents on Twitter while also praising his leadership raises questions about the organization's priorities.
  • The ADL's focus on Israel and equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism has strained its relationships with Muslim and Arab organizations, hindering potential alliances in working towards common goals.

Deep dives

The ADL's evolving focus and contradictory messages

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has been known as a leading anti-hate organization, but its focus and messaging have become increasingly contradictory. The ADL's relationship with Elon Musk, who has been connected to anti-Semitic incidents on Twitter, has been complicated. While the organization criticized Musk's role in promoting hate and harassment on the platform, its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, praised Musk's leadership. This conflicting stance has caused frustration among ADL staff and raised questions about the organization's priorities. Additionally, the ADL's approach to linking anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism has resulted in concerns over its data collection and reporting on incidents of anti-Semitism. The ADL's influence and respect as an organization could potentially lead to a different discussion on topics like the conflict in Gaza if they were to change their approach to Israel.

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