Media Watch

Letter to the NY Times Regarding Hanukkah Celebration at Trump Hotel

The following letter was written to The New York Times in response to "Celebration at Trump Hotel Illustrates Rift Among Jews” (Dec. 16)

Letters to the Editor
The New York Times

To the Editor:

While we can’t speak for the other organizations who did not attend the Hanukkah celebration sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, it is inaccurate to suggest that all of us “refused to attend” as part of some coordinated attempt to snub the organizers or boycott the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.

ADL’s reason for missing the party was simple: I was traveling on the West Coast, and our national chair and other senior leaders were similarly unavailable. There was no organized “snub” or boycott, as some media have reported. Indeed, we have a longstanding policy against waging boycotts, in light of the boycotts that have been used to unfairly single out the Jewish people and the State of Israel throughout history.

On any other day we would have been delighted to celebrate the Jewish holidays with our colleagues at the President’s Conference and with Israel’s friends from the Embassy of Azerbaijan.

Sincerely,

Jonathan A. Greenblatt
Chief Executive Officer
Anti-Defamation League