Dear John,

Earlier this week, I had the solemn responsibility of representing ADL in a moving gathering to commemorate the victims of the horrific massacre in El Paso — 23 lives lost to hatred in a Walmart on August 3, 2019, killed by a gunman who believed in the white supremacist ‘Great Replacement’ theory.

The shooter’s manifesto, which he posted online shortly before his attack, talked of his plan to act against a “cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion.” This ‘Great Replacement’ theory often blames Jews for masterminding this plan.

The shooter didn’t come up with this crazed concept on his own. As LULAC President Domingo Garcia said during the remembrance ceremony, those murdered in El Paso were victims of the rhetoric of hate and that “we need to celebrate their lives, uplift their memories, but we need to come together as a community to continue to fight because peace can overcome hatred.”

That’s something ADL is determined to do. We must transform grief and anger into whole-of-society action to combat domestic terrorism.

That’s why my second public appearance this week was testifying today before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security to address the dire threat these extremists are spreading. It can manifest as online hate, or swastikas on synagogues or a shove to the back of an elderly Asian pedestrian. Eventually, it can lead to deadly attacks like El Paso, the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh or the Pulse LGBTQ+ nightclub.

So why is this extremist threat on the rise? We believe that this movement has been fueled by two catalysts.

The first is leaders who repeat extremists’ rhetoric, co-opt their conspiracies, and knowingly or not give fanatics the green light. And, make no mistake, this is coming from across the ideological spectrum.

The second is social media. It is a super spreader of intolerance. You can find hate with just a few clicks from your phone, and intolerance is increased by tech-platform algorithms.

ADL created the PROTECT Plan as a framework to pull together the government, the tech sector and society as a whole to combat domestic terrorism and violent extremism. We are glad to see that the Biden administration recently released the first ever National Strategy to Counter Domestic Terrorism, which closely tracks with the PROTECT Plan.

During my testimony today, I urged the committee members, both Democrats and Republicans, to do their part to implement these strategies. To meet the rising demands of the moment. To commit to fighting hate online and on the ground. And if you haven’t yet joined the thousands of people who have used our PROTECT petition to call on your lawmakers to take action by implementing the plan in full, please take a moment to do so now by clicking here.

Thank you for standing with ADL against the extremism that devastated El Paso and tears at the fabric of our country, and for fighting hate for good.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Greenblatt

CEO and National Director

ADL