(As delivered.)
Good evening.
What a powerful night this has been. Jason, thank you for that kind introduction. I’m deeply grateful for your presence and your partnership — your voice here tonight means so much to us and to all who stand against hate. And to everyone here, thank you for being with us, for lending your time, your passion, and your commitment to this cause.
Mellon is a special place. These walls have seen history, the signing of the NATO treaty, presidential inaugural balls, moments when people came together to shape a better future. Tonight, we gather for that same reason - to shape a better future. The courage we have seen tonight is nothing short of remarkable.
From the brave Wesley Seidner, just 17, refusing to stay silent, and my dear friend the iconic Dr. Michael Lomax, whose life’s work has been nothing short of heroic, opening doors of opportunity for so many and building bridges of hope across communities.
Speaking of hope, last month we saw something that many of us in this room had prayed for over two long years: hostages coming home. Thanks to President Trump’s bold leadership and his team’s inexhaustible efforts, all the living hostages were released and reunited with their families, after 738 days of anguish. For so many of us, their return was an incredible catharsis.
Now I recently returned from Israel. I was on the ground just days after the deal was concluded, and the living hostages were freed, and I experienced firsthand the sense of relief that washed over the country. You could feel it. Then, as slain hostages began to be returned, including Israeli-Americans Omer Neutra and Itay Chen, and, today, Hadar Goldin, the growing sense of closure was powerful... But so was the stirring sense of optimism.
The resilience and the sheer bravery of the Israeli people had overcome the insurmountable, demonstrating that Am Yisrael can prevail in even the most seemingly impossible circumstances. And so, yes, I stand here tonight, not naïvely hopeful but genuinely optimistic, optimistic that Israel will overcome this tragedy, that the expansion of the Abraham Accords will foster a broad Israeli-Arab and Jewish-Muslim reconciliation, and, lastly, that this will lay the foundation for the long overdue, lasting accommodation between Israelis and Palestinians, the final horizon that we so desperately need to cross.
Now, I have no illusions that it will be easy, but I envision this horizon as a place where both peoples finally can fulfill their own destinies, where the wounds of conflict give way to coexistence, and where all people can thrive— not divided by history, but united by hope, and propelled by the courage to forge a better future for their children and grandchildren.
Since our founding more than a century ago, ADL also has tried to operate with courage as we have pursued our sacred mission, to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. And yet, tonight seems like a good time to remind the world that our mission is what we do, but that is not why we were founded.
That mission was crafted in service of a larger goal, again, the “why” if you will– and it still resonates today. Our why, our core purpose, the reason ADL was created more than a century ago, is simple: to protect the Jewish people. That is the gap we were founded to fill. That is the need we were established to address.
And, sadly, the events of the past two years remind us of the enduring necessity of this core purpose.
You see, when Hamas launched its genocidal attack on October 7, Jews around the world and here in America mourned for the loss of life and decried the horrific crimes, and yet, to our dismay, many of our so-called allies were nowhere to be found.
In fact, instead of solidarity, so many of us were shunned. Instead of empathy, we faced exclusion. Instead of sympathy, we received scorn.
In the year that followed, ADL tracked more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents across the country, the highest count we’ve ever recorded. On college campuses alone, we documented nearly 1700 anti-Jewish acts in 2024—an 84 percent increase over the prior year. Today, shockingly, more than 40 percent of Jewish Americans conceal their Jewish identities in public.
For Jews in the Diaspora, all of this madness has revived the existential question that has hovered over the Jewish people for millennia. Can we live proudly and thrive publicly as Jewish people with an open love of our homeland, or are we destined to face the same sad fate as our ancestors, forced to hide our passions, lower our gaze, and even leave the places that we love?
As CEO of ADL, let me answer that question for you: Not a chance.
Indeed, in the days, months, and years ahead, ADL will focus like a laser– a Jewish space laser, if you will– on our core purpose: protecting the Jewish people.
To be clear, we always will fight all forms of bigotry. We always will resist the evil of racism. We never will abandon our sacred mission, but, in the face of accelerating threats, we have no choice but to concentrate our energies and focus on the safety of our community. We will make no apologies for that.
And for those who spread antisemitism or espouse the extreme view that the Jewish state should not exist, for those on either side of the spectrum who attack us or create a permission structure for others to do so, let me tell you something: We will use every tool at our disposal to stop you.
I don’t care who listens to your podcast, what election you won or how popular you might be on TikTok, ADL will be relentless, and I mean absolutely, inexhaustibly relentless, in defense of our people.
But I don’t want anyone to misconstrue my message.
We are prepared for this fight, we will not shrink from this fight, but we cannot win this fight alone. No single group can beat back bigotry. We need the collective courage of everyone. Tonight, we have the privilege to honor four such individuals who remind us what such courage looks like in action, three generations fulfilling one mission.
We’ve seen Wesley Seidner's remarkable fortitude, a high school sophomore who refused to stay silent and who represents the next generation of Jewish leaders.
We’ve witnessed the impact of Dr. Michael Lomax, whose life’s work is a true testament to the fact that when communities stand together, we can achieve extraordinary things.
Later tonight, we will honor Marion Ein Lewin, a Holocaust survivor whose life embodies resilience and hope. Born in the Netherlands to parents who fled Nazi Germany, Marion and her family endured Westerbork, Bergen-Belsen, and the harrowing “lost train” before liberation in 1945. After arriving in the U.S. in 1947, she graduated from Barnard and Columbia and built a distinguished career in health policy.
Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that last night marked the anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass," when Nazis and their accomplices launched a pogrom that destroyed thousands of Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Germany and Austria in November 1938. 87 years later, such hate once again is rising around the globe.
And yet, thankfully, we have people like Marion, someone who witnessed the horrors of Nazi Germany and to this day, shares her story to educate and inspire. Marion reminds us that remembrance must lead to a future where “never again” truly means never again.
Here tonight, we’ll also recognize my good friend Mayor David Holt with the Levenson Defender of Democracy Award. As Oklahoma City’s first Native American mayor and a member of the Osage Nation, Mayor Holt has been transformational - restoring his city’s human rights commission, securing a $35 million civil rights center, and forging alliances across divides. In 2021, he joined Mayors United Against Antisemitism. In 2023, he partnered with ADL on a town hall that was recognized in the White House’s National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. Mayor Holt shows that leadership means standing up, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Three generations. One mission.
A survivor who preserves memory.
An educator who builds bridges.
A student who demands justice.
A mayor who stands up against antisemitism.
These honorees remind us that courage takes many forms. But we cannot leave this fight to a few heroes. Every person in this room holds power. Each of you can and must act.
What does that mean? Speak up when you see hate. Support organizations doing this work. Educate yourself and others. Advocate. Donate. Volunteer. In other words, shape the future. The question isn’t whether you can make a difference—it’s whether you will.
The fight against antisemitism and hate is the fight of our lives. But standing here tonight, I have never been more optimistic or confident that we will win. Because when good people stand together, when we refuse to be silent, when we act with courage and optimism— antisemitism doesn’t stand a chance.
Before we continue this celebration, I want to introduce someone whose partnership has been critical to ADL’s work.
Bruce Levenson is a business leader, dedicated philanthropist, and tireless champion in the fight against antisemitism. He has been a mentor to me as the CEO of this organization. Through his creativity and generosity, Bruce has helped ADL expand its impact and made me a better leader.
So once again, thank you for being here. Thank you for standing with us.
And without further ado, Bruce Levenson.