New York, New York, May 10, 1999 … In light of the tragedy in Littleton, Colo., Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), today will participate in the White House Strategy Session on Children, Violence and Responsibility.

Mr. Foxman issued the following statement:

The Anti-Defamation League applauds the President’s initiative to ensure that children can live and grow in safe, nurturing communities. The tragedy of Littleton, Colo., is on the minds of all Americans. Violence and hate, it seems, have become so pervasive that we are desensitized to the violence, and are becoming desensitized to hate. With the explosion of the Internet and other phenomena making hate and bigotry so readily accessible to our children, now is the time to come together to find viable solutions to these difficult and dangerous problems. While we don’t pretend to have all the answers, ADL is at the forefront of combating hate, and we believe we bring to the table powerful educational tools that can play an important role in finding a solution.

The League recently made available a new tool to protect children from hate on the Internet. ADL’s HateFilter^TM enables parents to filter out hate sites that could influence the minds of their children. One of its unique features is that it redirects users to ADL’s educational Web site, which explains the true nature of groups trying to seduce children.

Working with the National PTA, ADL has developed a guide titled, What to Tell Your Children About Prejudice and Discrimination, suitable for children of all ages beginning in the early grades. ADL has also prepared Prejudice You Can Beat It! Treat It, Defeat It and in the end Delete It: 101 ways to make your community a prejudice-free zone, a pamphlet that teaches community leaders, students and teachers to take up the fight against hate.

In a unique anti-prejudice initiative, ADL has joined in partnership with Court TV, AT&T, Cable in the Classroom and the National Middle School Association. With support of the Department of Education and the Department of Justice, ADL is creating in-school lessons and activities designed to address prejudice and hate through cable TV programming, videos and interactive Web sites.

Prepared in conjunction with President Clinton’s White House Conference on Hate Crimes, ADL produced and disseminated a compilation of its initiatives to be replicated in communities across the country, Hate Crimes: ADL Blueprint for Action.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.