John,

ADL will not be silent. We will not be deterred. We will not be passive in the face of hate.

Earlier this week, that was my closing vow to our National Leadership Summit, an annual event where ADL activists come together to learn and engage around critical issues of antisemitism and hate with experts and leaders including members of Congress from both parties, representatives of the Biden administration, Israel’s President and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S.

My keynote speech this year resulted in quite a bit of media attention. I was, admittedly, quite blunt...

I called out groups like Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voices for Peace, and the Council on American Islamic Relations that epitomize the Radical Left. These groups unapologetically denigrate and dehumanize Jews. Their vicious rhetoric is not an abstract issue. It is not just words when they call to “globalize the Intifada.” It is dangerous, and as we saw earlier this year in the Colleyville hostage crisis, antisemitic and antizionist language can inspire violence. If you’d like to watch my full speech, click here to view it.

Just days ago, ADL released our latest Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, which revealed that in 2021, incidents reached an all-time high since we began this report. There were 2,717 incidents recorded — an average of more than seven incidents per day and a 34 percent increase year over year, including assaults, harassment and vandalism. As groups from the left and right fringes seek to make it ok to hate Jews, we must take action every day to fight hate.

As Israeli President Isaac Herzog so aptly described this threat in his address, “Antisemitism is not an act but an ecosystem. It spreads through disinformation, demonization, fake news and distortions. It evolves into threats, attacks and denial of rights. The response must therefore address every element and stage in this ecosystem, from education and advocacy to community security and inter-communal outreach.” We are proud to have President Herzog as an unwavering partner in fighting global antisemitism and those who seek to delegitimize the Jewish state.

Another threat fueled by the spread of falsehoods was brought to the forefront by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, who thanked the ADL community for our support and called out the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of her country, an invasion that Russia has cynically justified with claims about ‘denazification.’ You can view her speech asking for your support in fighting Russian disinformation and propaganda here, and you can find ADL-recommended ways to help Ukraine here.

At the summit, I was beyond honored to present ADL’s Distinguished Public Service Award to Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Rep. John Katko (R-NY) for their unrelenting advocacy in the face of rising hate, which illustrates what it means to Fight Hate for Good. We commend all of them for their work.

I was also inspired by the clear warning about today’s antisemitism and extremism to be learned from award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns’ and Lynn Novick’s newest project, “The U.S. and the Holocaust.” As Burns noted to us, “a good deal of what was considered fringe behavior has now been permitted to be in the center stage.” ( View the discussion.)

Our communities are stronger and safer when we’re all united in the fight against antisemitism, so I encourage you to watch these and other video clips from our leadership event, and I invite you all to join me this fall at Never Is Now, the world’s largest annual summit on Antisemitism and Hate, which will be held in person at the Javits Center in New York on November 10.

Thank you for all you do as part of the ADL community as we fight hate for good. We remain steadfast in our mission to “stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all.”

Sincerely,

Jonathan Greenblatt

CEO and National Director

ADL