Dear John,

We just returned from ADL’s National Leadership Summit (NLS) in Washington D.C. where we were deeply honored to welcome important global leaders in the fight against antisemitism and hate including White House Domestic Policy Advisor Ambassador Susan Rice, exiled Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi, CNN Anchor & Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, U.S. Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall and Special Envoy to Monitor & Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt. We also joined Actress Bel Powley and Executive Producers and Writers Tony Phelan and Joan Rater for an exclusive screening of National Geographic and Disney+’s new series “A Small Light.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog shared greetings as did Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Rabbi David Wolpe, who will be joining us as ADL’s inaugural Rabbinic Fellow. They came together with me, ADL’s professional staff and hundreds of ADL’s national and regional leaders to speak out against antisemitism and other forms of hate, and to help find a new way forward.

This is a pivotal moment for all of us in the ADL community. We must not just talk about antisemitism. We must fight antisemitism. We must do the hard work of battling it everywhere — across the political spectrum, online and around the world. And we need the support of allies like the ones who joined us at NLS this week.

Ambassador Rice broke news at NLS, noting that the White House’s national strategy on antisemitism will be released this month, and will focus on “actions we can all take throughout society to raise awareness and prevent antisemitism, to protect Jews and to build allyship across communities.” ADL has provided the White House with a robust list of concrete ideas to be considered for this new national strategic plan.

In a special evening celebrating Israel’s 75th birthday, we were honored to hear, virtually, from Israeli President Herzog. He noted that Israel’s enemies, led by Iran, have seen Israel’s “vibrant democratic debate as a sign of weakness, but they are sadly mistaken.” He thanked ADL for our staunch support of the Jewish and democratic state of Israel, and voiced his commitment to joining you and the rest of the ADL community in fighting the antisemitism that is robbing Jews around the globe of their sense of safety.

Reza Pahlavi, exiled Crown Prince of Iran, making his first public remarks since his recent trip to Israel, shared his vision of a democratic future for Iran. He talked about how antisemitic fearmongering was one of the early hallmarks of the fundamentalist revolution in Iran, which has also spread its bigotry to the treatment of women and of other faiths in Iran. “So that is why we must speak out. That is why I am here this evening. And that is why I went to Israel. I went to stand up against the Islamic Republic’s antisemitism, and to stand in solidarity with victims of the Holocaust, in the face of the regime’s Holocaust denial.”

Protect Our Communities Now

Another important policy priority of NLS this year is to expand the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which has provided millions of dollars each year to synagogues, Jewish schools and other nonprofits for much-needed assistance to bolster security against the threat of hate-inspired violence. The grants have been vital year after year, though the need has outpaced the funding. And this year, with the threat of cuts to many areas of the Federal budget coming at the same time that recorded levels of antisemitic incidents are rising, it is more important than ever to speak out for this vital program.

Because these grants fund institutions from a wide range of faiths and backgrounds, we have many allies in this effort. Tuesday on Capitol Hill, hundreds of ADL leaders were joined at a rally by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and by organizations including Interfaith America, Spill the Honey, Asian Americans Advancing Justice—AAJC, the Muhammad Ali Center, Values Partnerships, the Japanese American Citizens League, UnidosUS, the Latino Victory Fund and Race Forward as we affirmed that no community is safe until we all are safe. We spread the same message at direct meetings with 53 Senate offices this week. Please take one moment now to add your voice in this critical year to protect Nonprofit Security Grant funding.

Thank you for speaking out, and for being part of the ADL community that Fights Hate for Good every day!

Sincerely,

Jonathan Greenblatt

CEO and National Director

ADL