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Dear John,

Tonight, the Jewish High Holy Days begin with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which will be followed by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

The High Holy Days are an annual reminder of the possibility of renewal. This has been a year that could certainly benefit from a spirit of renewal, and a resolution to change and to improve.

- As we work to address a longstanding history of systemic racism...
- As we look back on historically high levels of antisemitic incidents in 2019...
- As we see the call to violence spreading from the fringes of our society...
- As we see our social media platforms incubate misinformation about the pandemic and the elections...
...we more than ever need this time to reflect, to repent, and to renew.

The holidays also are a time for looking back. This week, I’ve been reflecting on my five-year anniversary at ADL, and on the extraordinary organization that I am so humbled to lead. There have been so many memorable moments throughout this journey.

I still recall the day in August 2015, standing with the legendary Rep. John Lewis in Atlanta to mourn for those who had been massacred just weeks before at the AME church in Charleston and to announce the 50 States Against Hate campaign, which came full circle this summer with Georgia’s passage of a strong hate crimes bill that built on ADL language.

I remember the morning in October 2018 when my phone buzzed and buzzed as it sat unused in my tallis bag during services on a Shabbat morning. I tried to ignore it but eventually stepped outside when the service concluded to see what was going on. Standing in the parking lot of my own shul, I remember the shock when I learned the awful news of the terrifying attack that had just occurred minutes before in the Tree of Life synagogue building in Pittsburgh. I raced home and scrambled to coordinate ADL’s support for the devastated community even as I joined the world in mourning and anger.

I also think about the high points as well, including launching our Center for Technology and Society in Silicon Valley to address antisemitism and other forms of hate in the online world. I think about the growth of
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Never Is Now from a hastily organized small conference in 2016 to the largest annual event in the world focused on fighting antisemitism. I think about the surreal afternoon just a few months ago as I sat on my porch and had a Zoom call with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle about the toxic hatred on Facebook and how they could be involved with our burgeoning
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Stop Hate for Profit campaign. And it was gratifying earlier this week when we launched a second action and garnered the support of some of the top actors and artists in Hollywood, all of whom joined our call to demand that Facebook do more to fight hate. In less than 72 hours, our message was seen over a billion times.

As 5780 draws to a close, I can assure you that we will do all we can to make 5781 the year that Facebook and other social media companies become less corrosive; to push for Holocaust and genocide education in schools across the country to educate the next generation about the importance of fighting intolerance; and to make this the year that antisemitism, racism and extremism find less traction online and offline.

As we contemplate the past and forge ahead to create a world with more compassion, empathy and caring, we at ADL are so grateful for your support. Together, we will not waver from our century-long work and mission.

I’m wishing all of you in our ADL community who celebrate Rosh Hashanah a sweet and peaceful New Year.

L’Shanah Tovah u’Metukah.
Sincerely,

Jonathan Greenblatt
CEO and National Director
ADL

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