ADL Issues Joint Statement With Academic Engagement Network & Psychologists Against Antisemitism

Joint Statement from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Academic Engagement Network (AEN), and Psychologists Against Antisemitism (PAAS)

New York, NY, July 15, 2025 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), Academic Engagement Network and Psychologists Against Antisemitism express our deep concern regarding a May/June 2025 special issue of the American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association (APA). 

While we are firmly committed to the principles of academic freedom and intellectual exchange, we also stand in support of academic integrity. We are therefore speaking out about this special issue because, while it is positioned as a scholarly work, it instead advances an ethically compromised and biased narrative that depicts the State of Israel - and by extension, those who support it - in a profoundly negative light.

In particular, we are dismayed that the American Psychologist, a journal that purports to publish scholarly research, chose to feature an article that promotes the political views of four authors who demonstrate clear animus toward the Jewish people and their connection to their ancestral homeland. The article - titled “Supervision as Decolonial Love: Toward a Transformative Training Process for Palestinian Community Health Workers” repeatedly labels Israel a “settler colonial” and “apartheid” state, accuses it of “genocide,” and refers to “Palestinian freedom fighters,” language that distorts history, legitimizes violence, and erases Jewish self-determination. Equally problematic is the special issue’s concluding article, which similarly validates the demonization of Israel and reduces antisemitism to “religious intolerance,” overlooking the many contemporary dimensions of antisemitism.

Rather than interrogating or interpreting facts, the article politicizes the field of scientific psychology and falls drastically short of scholarly standards, with its incendiary language running counter to APA’s own EDI policy that “the science of psychology must be applicable to all.” We can and should recognize the plight of the Palestinian people - but not at the expense of truth, scholarly standards, the Jewish people, or the diverse communities of Israelis.

This special issue appears at a time when the APA is already facing intense scrutiny from within its own ranks. Many APA members have reported experiencing antisemitism within the organization - concerns recently underscored by Rep. Ritchie Torres, who publicly called on the association to address the “persistent and pernicious” antisemitism reported by its own members. APA leadership has repeatedly fallen short in acknowledging and responding to reports of antisemitism, allowing a hostile and divisive climate to take root. In this context, the publication of such profoundly unbalanced and inflammatory articles is not solely an editorial lapse, but a serious breach of professional and ethical responsibility.

As organizations dedicated to fighting antisemitism within the academy, we call for:

1. An urgent review of The American Psychologist’s editorial and peer-review processes to ensure the academic integrity of the flagship journal's publications.
2. An independent investigation into the broader climate within the APA, including the extent and impact of antisemitism within the association’s leadership, staff, and membership.
3. A clear and public plan that outlines a transparent, actionable path to meaningfully address antisemitism within its organizational culture and professional standards.

Jewish psychologists, researchers, and mental health professionals have long contributed to the advancement of psychological science and the mission of the APA. They and their allies deserve to work within an organization that values their history, identity, beliefs and safety - not one that enables or validates antisemitic narratives under the pretense of scholarship.

We call on APA leadership to reflect on the message that its publications send, take immediate corrective action, and reaffirm their commitment to a professional environment free from bias and bigotry of all forms - including antisemitism.