Dear John,

Less than 24 hours after violence broke out at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, I had a call scheduled with members of the U.S. Senate leadership. I sent them a note — mourning the events that had transpired, the lives (including their own) that had been put at risk, our democracy under siege on live television around the world — and offered to reschedule. “No,” a Senate staffer told me. “We need ADL — your expertise, your advocacy — now, more than ever before.”

My team and I have spent every day since that pivotal event on the phone with leadership in the Biden team, with Congress and with state legislatures. We are on the front lines, working with lawmakers to advance meaningful, comprehensive steps to combat domestic extremism, the most dangerous manifestation of antisemitism America confronts today.

Putting PROTECT into Practice

Just days after the violence in DC, House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson joined us for a dramatic Fighting Hate from Home webinar. He shared the trauma he endured as insurrectionists stormed his office during the attack. He joined ADL in mourning Capitol police and others who lost their lives that day and in calling for action. A few short weeks later, our CEO Jonathan Greenblatt testified before Thompson and the Homeland Security Committee, rolling out our PROTECT Plan for a whole-of-government, whole-of-society strategy to tackle the threat posed by domestic extremism head on, while still protecting vulnerable communities against the risk of government overreach.

Now we are working to translate that vision into a reality. The PROTECT plan will ensure that adequate resources are allocated to address the threat. At the federal level, we successfully lobbied for the introduction of bipartisan legislation including the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act and the Commission on Domestic Terrorism Act of 2021, and we continue to urge passage of the No Hate Act. We continue to work tirelessly as we fight to keep extremists out of government, hold social media companies accountable and prevent radicalization.

Fighting Antisemitism and Hate in Every State

At the same time, our 25 regional offices across the country continue to pursue a variety of initiatives at the state level, including not only PROTECT bills, but also comprehensive hate crimes bills, laws establishing Holocaust and genocide education as part of state educational curricula, and providing protections for targets of online hate and harassment by holding their harassers accountable. After years of working to support gradual and vital changes in state and local government, I see the coming months as an important inflection point as we build a coalition resolved to tackling the myriad challenges our communities face.

But these critical initiatives cannot succeed without your support. Representatives need to hear from their constituents; they need to hear from you. Add your voice to our PROTECT Plan against domestic terrorism by signing our petition urging the White House and your local elected leaders to act now. Ask your legislators to support the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act and No Hate Act.

Thank you for standing with me in this fight as a member of the ADL community.

Sincerely,

Max Sevillia

VP of Government Relations, Advocacy and Community Engagement (GRACE)

ADL