The following letter was written in response to an op-ed that appeared in the New York Post on December 9, 2016
Letters to the Editor
New York Post
To the Editor:
“Jonathan Greenblatt is destroying the Anti-Defamation League” by Alex VanNess (Dec. 9) is nothing short of a mendacious attack on an organization that has tirelessly fought on behalf of the Jewish people against the evils of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel forces for more than 100 years. The author’s organization, The Center for Security Policy, is a think tank that promotes anti-Muslim conspiracy theories focused on an America under attack with the threat of imposition of Islamic law. The founder has a history of bigoted statements and, because ADL has spoken out against him in the past, this article should be read as an attempt to score a vendetta rather than as legitimate criticism.
VanNess falsely asserts that ADL downplays the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, a claim which could not be further from the truth. Earlier this year ADL forged a joint initiative with the Israeli-based Reut Institute to battle BDS and the delegitimization of Israel. And ADL is actively working to marginalize anti-Israel actions through its network of regional offices across the country. When the Black Lives Matter movement stated that Israel was “complicit in the genocide taking place against the Palestinian people,” ADL categorically rejected this claim as “repellent and completely inaccurate.”
ADL does not need to return to a “trajectory of fighting anti-Semitism.” Since 1913, there has never been even a fleeting deviation from this, its core mission. More than 1,000 people attended our recent “Never Is Now” summit, a day-long gathering that convened some of the world’s foremost experts to address the most urgent challenges facing the Jewish people and identified new strategies to stop the rising tide of anti-Semitism.
In an era where “fake news” is spreading virally, it is shameful the Post gave space to what is essentially a propaganda piece riddled with falsehoods, innuendo and mistruths.
Sincerely,
Evan Bernstein
New York Regional Director
Anti-Defamation League