ADL and AJHS Partner to Preserve Historical Legacy of Fighting Antisemitism

New York, NY, May 28, 2024 … As the U.S. celebrates Jewish American Heritage Month, the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) and ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today announced a new partnership to preserve the institutional archives that document ADL’s fight against antisemitism, hate and bigotry since its founding in 1913.

The ADL Archives Project will catalog, stabilize and digitize ADL’s collections to preserve and provide public access to important archival materials documenting ADL’s work and research. The collaboration with AJHS will safeguard more than 13,000 boxes of documents, microfilms, audiovisual recordings and photographs – a comprehensive record of hate and bigotry in the United States and ADL’s ongoing efforts to combat them.

“With antisemitic incidents and attitudes at historic levels, it’s imperative that we preserve these invaluable records of our fight against hate for future generations,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “This partnership with AJHS not only ensures the preservation of a critical part of Jewish and American history, but also strengthens our collective resolve to combat antisemitism and all forms of bigotry.”

At present, many of the materials remain uncatalogued and inaccessible to researchers, and many fragile items must be stabilized before they are lost. The partnership will be partially funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the philanthropist Sid Lapidus.

“Partnering with ADL allows us to safeguard unique perspectives on the evolving nature of extremism and peerless insights gathered from the frontlines of fighting hate for over a century,” said Gemma Birnbaum, Executive Director of AJHS. “We are committed to preserving this history to ground the foundation for combating hate for generations to come.”

As part of the new partnership, ADL and AJHS recently curated an exhibition during the 2024 Never Is Now Summit in New York City, sharing highlights of ADL’s work decade by decade and contextualized by documents and multimedia from its extensive archives – from countering Henry Ford’s antisemitism in the 1920s to confronting increased antisemitism on college campuses today.

The preservation of ADL’s history of fighting antisemitism comes as antisemitic incidents in the U.S. have reached record levels. In January, ADL released preliminary data finding a total of 3,291 antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7 and Jan. 7, a 361-percent increase over the year prior, putting 2023 on track to be the worst year since ADL started tracking this data in the late 1970s. Recently, an ADL survey revealed anti-Jewish attitudes are at an all-time high, with 24-percent of Americans harboring extensive antisemitic prejudice, up from 20 percent in 2022.

About ADL

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all. More at www.adl.org.

About AJHS

Established in 1892, AJHS is the oldest ethnic, cultural archive in the United States, providing access to more than 30 million documents, 50,000 books, photographs, artwork, audio-visual material, and artifacts that reflect the history of the Jewish presence in the United States from 1654 to the present.