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Dear John,
Pandemics from the plague to typhoid have been used as excuses for antisemitic scapegoating and other extremist behavior. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is no different. And we need your help today.
In New Jersey, a man is arrested for terroristic threats against a predominantly Jewish community, accusing them of spreading the virus. In Brooklyn, a couple is arrested for accosting a group of Hasidic men; trying to rip their masks off while shouting, “You’re the reason why we’re getting sick!” In Chicago and Denver, white supremacists use pandemic protest rallies as platforms to spread antisemitism, extremism and xenophobia — comparing their Jewish governors to Hitler and Nazis.
And it doesn’t stop there. All across the nation, extremists are continuing to exploit the national crisis to recruit and further their antisemitic, anti-immigrant and anti-government agendas.
When disease spreads, hate also becomes contagious.
And that’s why we need your help right now. Please, if you can, send a gift of $50, $75 or even $100 to fight hate during these volatile times.
These acts are terrible... but they’re not surprising. As our just-released 2019 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents showed, American Jews were targets of more antisemitic incidents last year than any other year since we began tracking in 1979, including the vicious and lethal antisemitic attacks in Poway, Jersey City and Monsey, and a spree of violent assaults in Brooklyn. All before the pandemic even began.
Yet with the help of supporters like you, ADL’s Center on Extremism actively monitors and reports the rise in online hate and extremism fueled by new COVID-19 conspiracy theories and works directly with law enforcement to stop more acts of violence before they can happen.
Together, we can counter the rising tide of antisemitism. We can identify dangerous extremists. And we can train communities and law enforcement to respond to these threats. But we cannot do it without you.
Thank you for standing with ADL now!
| Sincerely, |
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| Jonathan Greenblatt |
| CEO and National Director |
| ADL |
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