Jewish American Heritage Month: Exploring Jewish Identity
Tools and Strategies
Use this collection of resources for educators and families to help teach about and celebrate Jewish American heritage in schools, communities and at home.
Letter to the New York Times Regarding Op-Ed on BDS
Media Watch
The following letter was submitted to The New York Times in response to "Anti-Zionists Deserve Free Speech" (April 16). To the Editor:
Re “Anti-Zionists Deserve Free Speech” (column, April 16):
Michelle Goldberg would have a legitimate point to make if she had limited her argument to the decision to bar the entry of Omar Barghouti to the United States.
As despicable as his views are — as the founder of the boycott, divestment and sanctions…
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but Watch Out for the Stereotypes
Article
April 18, 2019 As Cinco de Mayo festivities commence, it is important to stop and consider whether classroom observances and celebrations in general are inclusive and respectful and whether they do or do not promote stereotypical portrayals of groups of people—in this case, people who are Mexican and Mexican-American. Cinco De Mayo is a fun and festive holiday in the U.S. that it is often wrought with problematic choices made by people wanting to have a good time and celebrate…
Letter to Al Jazeera: Hamid Dabashi's Sleights of Hand
Media Watch
The following letter was submitted to Al Jazeera in response to "Why Muslims Must be at the Forefront of Fighting Anti-Semitism” (March 17) Letters to the Editor
Al Jazeera
To the Editor:
Professor Hamid Dabashi employs all the sleights of hands by those on the political left who engage in anti-Semitic tropes against Jews (“Why Muslims Must be at the Forefront of Fighting Anti-Semitism,” March 17).
He tries to separate out Zionism from Judaism, when…
Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current Events Topic SummaryOn March 8, 2019 (International Women’s Day), the U.S. women’s soccer team filed a gender discrimination suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, which governs soccer in the U.S. The soccer team’s complaint alleges pay inequities and inferior support and working conditions. In their statement released by the team, the twenty-eight players described “institutionalized gender discrimination” that…
Letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Regarding Recent Anti-Semitic Comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar
Letter
March 04, 2019 In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, ADL asked for the passage of a resolution that would reject Rep. Ilhan Omar's recent anti-Semitic comments. March 4, 2019
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives
204 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
I am writing to you regarding the recent comments made by Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
At a public forum in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2019, Rep. Omar…
Anti-Semitism in Venezuela: Maduro Regime Traffics in Hateful Conspiracies
Article
February 25, 2019 As the political crisis continues in Venezuela, the hardline regime of Nicolas Maduro, whose power is currently being challenged, is promoting hateful anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and allegations of Jewish or “Zionist” plots to take over the government.
As declared interim President Juan Guaidó – whose bid to take over the government is supported by more than 50 countries – challenges Maduro’s power, the resulting political, social…
February 25, 2019 Mya and Deanna Cook, 15, were both excellent students, but they had been kicked off school sports teams, banished from prom, and sentenced to hours of detention for refusing to change their hair. When these twin sisters were punished by their Boston-area high school for wearing braided hair extensions, ADL helped them change their school’s controversial hair and makeup policies, which unfairly targeted students of color.
ADL’s New England office received a…
Why We Need Legislation to Ensure the Holocaust is Taught in Schools
Article
February 21, 2019 One would think that teaching the lessons of the Holocaust in schools would be a given in the United States. After all, it is an essential component in learning about world history, the rise of fascism, World War II, and genocide, all of which are already part of any respectable high school history curriculum.
But recent incidents of students appropriating and abusing Holocaust imagery have served as a reminder and a wake-up call for the need to teach the universal…
The Historical Harm of Blackface: How to Talk with Young People
Article
February 15, 2019 Blackface has taken center stage in our public discourse. Again.
Virginia is embroiled in a controversy based on admissions by Governor Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring to wearing blackface in the past. The list of celebrities and other public figures who publicly condone blackface is growing and there are others entering the spotlight. Just a few months ago, NBC host Megyn Kelly set off her own controversy when she defended blackface as a Halloween costume…
Qatari Government Promotes Textbook Teaching that Jews Seek World Domination
Article
February 07, 2019 By David Andrew Weinberg
The government of Qatar has a longstanding and problematic record with regard to promoting or enabling anti-Semitism.
The state Grand Mosque has hosted numerous anti-Semitic hate preachers, including anti-Semitic sermons delivered in recent years by regular preachers in residence. Qatar’s state book fair this past year provided a platform for numerous anti-Semitic titles. Qatar’s Al Jazeera network, which the U.S. State…
For Educators In fostering inclusive, equitable and safe schools, we encourage educators to develop group guidelines for respect and safety in the classroom. These classroom guidelines can be created in a variety of ways and the list typically includes recommendations such as: Share air timeActively listenShow empathyRespect confidentialityParticipate fullyAssume good willBe sensitive to feelingsHowever, there is often a need to go further and frame guidelines around the concept of bravery…
Michelle Alexander’s “Time to Break the Silence on Palestine” Omits Key Facts, Puts Entire Onus for Conflict on Israel
Article
January 29, 2019 Michelle Alexander is a scholar and writer of considerable repute on issues of racial equity and social justice in the United States. Her works have contributed significantly to public understanding of these issues. But her recent New York Times column on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one-sided and contains significant factual inaccuracies.
Her column, “Time to Break the Silence on Palestine,” attempts to imagine how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would…
Increase your awareness of religious obligations and ethnic and cultural festivities that may affect students, colleagues and neighbors in your community.
Anti-Semitic Cartoons: A Hallmark of Qatari Newspapers
Article
December 26, 2018 ADL has been monitoring anti-Semitic editorial cartoons in newspapers across the Middle East for decades. One regular source of such cartoons, which blatantly demonize Jews, is the Qatari media, notably by cartoonist Umayya Juha.
The prevalence of these highly problematic depictions led ADL to contact Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani calling for action.
Backed by ADL’s long time and…
December 24, 2018 Sports tournaments and other international competitions have long been harnessed by some countries in the Middle East as part of their continued efforts to isolate and delegitimize Israel and prevent engagement with Israelis. This typically includes the host country barring entry to Israeli athletes; refusing to allow them to compete under the Israeli flag or play their country’s national anthem at medal ceremonies; and refusing to shake their hands or even compete…
December 21, 2018 With approximately 3 percent of the world’s Jewish population residing in Latin America, ADL works in partnership with the organized Jewish communal institutions to lend our voices when needed. Going into 2019, as challenges to Jewish community grow worldwide, ADL’s focus on strengthening relations with local Jewish communities across Latin America will continue to be paramount, particularly in areas of common interest.
Political shifts
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December 21, 2018 64% of American households have a member that plays video games for three or more hours per week. And these gamers are not just kids. In 2017, the average age of a gamer was 31, and there were more gamers over 36 than between 18 – 35 or under 18. At ADL’s Center for Technology and Society (CTS) we know that video games can be a meaningful force for good in society. We think games can be incredible tools in helping to challenge bias and create respectful and…
The following letter was submitted to The New York Times in response to "Anti-Zionism is not Anti-Semitism" (Dec. 7) Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
To the Editor:
It is Michelle Goldberg, not those who assert that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is anti-Semitic, who engages in sleight of hand ("Anti-Zionism is not Anti-Semitism," Dec. 7).
The movement in its conception and origins rejects the legitimacy of the Jewish state…
by: Ken Jacobson December 07, 2018 November 29 was here and gone again, and the United Nations engaged in its annual anti-Israel fest on this date, which is the anniversary of the U.N. Partition Resolution of 1947.
It appears that as many as six anti-Israel resolutions were passed on a variety of subjects, including Jerusalem, the Palestinians and the Golan Heights.
On one level this could be considered a ho-hum. These resolutions have no power, they have a routine quality to them and…