Commentary: ADL’s Partisanship Harms the Fight Against Antisemitism

Jon Greenblatt

For over a century, the Anti-Defamation League has enjoyed a reputation as the preeminent Jewish organization combating antisemitism and all forms of hate. Its acronym, ADL, has “household name” status—and not just in Jewish homes. This makes its current penchant for partisanship extraordinarily dangerous for, and beyond, the Jewish community.

Last December, Senate Republicans learned that a Joe Biden nominee for a lifetime judicial appointment, Adeel Mangi, was previously a board member and generous supporter of the antisemitic Center for Security, Race and Rights at Rutgers University Law School.

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Less than Half of Arizona School Districts and Charters Affirm They Teach Students About the Holocaust

Only 322, or 43 percent, of the roughly 750 Arizona school districts and charters surveyed confirmed that they are teaching students about the Holocaust and other genocides.

The completed survey, due to the Arizona Department of Education by January 24, 2024, asked schools to show evidence that students were receiving the required Holocaust education. “We surveyed districts and charters to find out if they are following the law, but more than half did not respond,” said Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne in a statement on Monday. He believes new legislation could help.

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Nashville Transgender Shooter Not a Left-Wing Extremist Because She Called Victims ‘F****ts,’ ADL Says

The Anti-Defamation League claimed that right-wing extremists committed “all” the extremist-related murders in 2023, discounting the apparent extremism of Audrey Hale, the transgender shooter who killed three adults and three students in March at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.

Conservative commentator Steven Crowder released three pages of the shooter’s manifesto, which police confirmed were legitimate, in November.

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Arizona Department of Education Demands Evidence Schools Are Complying with Mandatory Holocaust Education

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne sent a letter on Tuesday demanding each school in Arizona provide evidence demonstrating compliance with a state law mandating students learn about the Holocaust by January 24.

Horne notified schools via email to “report us by close of business” on January 24 “what you are doing to implement ARS Section 15-701.2 regarding instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides,” and for schools to “indicate how much time is devoted to the subject and what you use for curriculum.”

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Behind the Conviction: Stewart Parks’ Legal Ordeal and the Fight for Truth in J6 Capitol Trespassing Case

Stewart Parks, a former congressional candidate from Tennessee’s 5th District, finds himself in the crosshairs of a harrowing legal battle following his participation in the January 6 events at the Capitol. Convicted in a bench trial by Judge Amit Mehta, Parks disputes charges of misdemeanor trespassing, disorderly conduct, and theft and is in the early stages of pursuing an appeal.

Parks updated listeners on Thursday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on the latest developments in his plight and he details his concerns about potential prejudice against those with conservative ideologies and the need for a fair legal defense.

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Breitbart Editor-at-Large Joel Pollak: ‘Harvard is Lost’

Joel Pollak

Breitbart News Editor-at-Large Joel Pollak joined the newsmaker line on Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to share insights into the troubling state of his alma mater, Harvard University.

The veteran journalist and Harvard Law School graduate highlighted the rise of antisemitism on campus and traced the university’s decline, noting that it was former President Drew Faust who emphasized a thin record of slavery over Harvard’s significant contributions to the abolitionist cause and civil rights movement.

The 387-year-old institution’s rapid shift to prioritize social justice and the erosion of free speech, Pollak suggested, has indelibly marred Harvard’s reputation as a symbol of excellence.

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Jewish Arizona Democrat Doxxed with Flyers over Pro-Israel Views, State Party Silent

Alma Hernandez

Arizona State Representative Alma Hernandez (D-Tucson) reported being victim to a doxxing campaign on Thursday, posting evidence of masked individuals distributing anti-Israel flyers containing her personal address in her neighborhood.

The flyers cite Hernandez’s public opposition to a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel, and claimed she is “working to silence pro-Palestinian colleagues on a local and national level” before claiming Hernandez abuses “power in support of genocide.”

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Republican State Lawmakers Block University of Pennsylvania Funding over Antisemitism Response

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted down legislation Wednesday providing over $33 million in state funding for the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) veterinary school due to concerns about antisemitism on campus, according to The Associated Press.

Former UPenn President Liz Magill stepped down alongside Scott Bok, the chairman of UPenn’s Board of Trustees, on Dec. 9 after the university faced heavy criticism for UPenn’s handling of antisemitism on campus and Magill’s testimony to Congress earlier this month. The state’s House of Representatives passed the funding measure in the first two votes but failed to clear the necessary two-thirds majority required by the state’s Constitution, according to the AP.

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Harvard Board Says President Claudine Gay Will Remain Despite Calls for Her Ouster

The Harvard board on Tuesday said Claudine Gay would remain as president of the university despite calls for her ousting following her answers about antisemitism before Congress last week as well as allegations she plagiarized parts of her Ph.D. thesis. “As members of the Harvard Corporation, we today reaffirm our support for President Gay’s continued leadership of Harvard University,” the board, known as the Harvard Corporation, said in a statement signed by all members except for Gay. “Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing.”

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Gallego Silent After Harvard President Refuses to Condemn Antisemitism and Genocide, Despite Bragging About Attending in 2020

U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) is holding his silence following an Arizona Sun Times press inquiry on Sunday about the refusal of Harvard University President Claudine Gay to state whether calling for the genocide of Jewish people is considered a violation of the university’s code of conduct.

Gay refused to state whether calls to commit violence and genocide against the Jewish people violated the university’s code of conduct during a five-minute exchange with Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21). Gay repeatedly told Stefanik she finds such remarks and calls to action “personally abhorrent,” but said such language would receive First Amendment protections at Harvard.

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House Panel Opens Probe into Ivy League Schools Following Anti-Semitism Hearing

The House Education and Workforce Committee is opening an investigation into Harvard University, MIT, University of Pennsylvania and other schools, following a recent congressional hearing about antisemitism on college campuses. 

House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik R-N.Y., called the testimony of the universities’ presidents “morally bankrupt.” Democrats and Republicans have condemned the universities’ presidents’ responses to questions about how their respective schools combat hate speech and antisemitism on campus. 

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Tennessee Rep. Kustoff Introduces Resolution Condemning Rising Antisemitism

U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) joined Representative Max Miller (R-OH-07) this week in introducing a resolution condemning and denouncing antisemitism in the United States and around the world.

Kustoff and Miller, the only Republican Jewish members of the House, said it’s time to stand up to surging antisemitism infecting communities and institutions, including Congress.

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Tlaib Faces Michigan Bar Complaint for Alleged Antisemitism, Spreading ‘Terrorist Propaganda’, Lies

Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces a formal complaint asking the State Bar of Michigan to open an investigation into the Michigan Democrat, an active member of the state bar, over her alleged “repeated false statements, anti-Semitic comments, and spread of foreign terrorist propaganda” following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths.

“Attorney Tlaib’s public statements have shown a complete disregard for the truth and serve only to enflame anti-Semitic hatred rather than promote the ends of justice,” the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, a free speech nonprofit, wrote in the complaint Monday to the Michigan bar.  

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Wisconsin Representative Says Universities Should Be Graded Publicly on Antisemitism

Rep Grothman College

Congressman Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., says that universities should be graded in regard to antisemitism on a scale for the public to see. 

“On the antisemitic thing, groups ought to come out and rank the universities: A, B, C, D and E,” Grothman said on the Thursday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “Say if you have a Jewish child. Would you want them to go to this university?  What university would want to be labeled an F for Jewish children?”

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Biden Admin Unveils New Tools to Counter Antisemitism, Islamophobia in Schools

The Biden administration announced new resources on Tuesday to counter antisemitism and Islamophobia at schools across the U.S. following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, according to a White House press release.

College students signed letters blaming Israel for the Hamas terrorist attacks and multiple student groups led pro-Palestinian protests with imagery associated with violence against Israel. The White House released a series of guides and resources to “help protect students, engage school and university leaders, and foster safe and supportive learning environments.”

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University of Tennessee Admits Professor Made Antisemitic Comments in Class

The University of Tennessee (UT) admitted in a statement on Wednesday night that one of its professors made antisemitic comments during a classroom lecture, but said it could not go into details out of respect for the students’ privacy.

In a statement, UT Director of News and Information Tyra Hagg distributed to the media late Wednesday, the university claimed it “has addressed concerns about a class lecture that included several comments” which fall under the “working definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance” in 2016.

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Commentary: Antisemitism Pervades America’s College Campuses

After the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, we witnessed a wave of antisemitism on college campuses by anti-Israel groups praising Hamas’ mass murder of Jews. 

Remember: Hamas invaded Israel, murdered at least 1,400 people, and took at least 212 hostages. Still, student groups at colleges across the country came out in support of the killings. The national chapter of the notoriously pro-terror Students for Justice in Palestine called the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust a “historic win.” Thirty-one Harvard organizations blamed Israel for the Hamas attacks. Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison chanted “Glory to the Martyrs” while the La Fuerza Student Association at California State University advertised their pro-Palestine protest with a picture of a paraglider – a blatant endorsement of the massacre at the Supernova music festival. 

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Knoxville Man Convicted for Providing Support to ISIS

A Knoxville man was convicted for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). 

“On Oct. 19, following an eight-day trial, a jury convicted Benjamin Carpenter, 31, of Knoxville, Tennessee, aka Abu Hamza, of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a foreign terrorist organization,” the release says. 

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Youngkin’s Commission to Combat Antisemitism Warns of Rising Incidents, Proposes Beefed-Up Law Enforcement, Education

A commission to combat antisemitism ordered by Governor Glenn Youngkin published its report Monday, describing a rising amount of antisemitic incidents nationally and in Virginia, and recommending 21 steps the governor and the General Assembly could take.

“In recent years, Virginia has had fewer incidents than neighbors in Maryland and DC, but the national trend of increasing antisemitic incidents has not spared Virginia, and some of the most high-profile antisemitic incidents in recent history have occurred in the Commonwealth. Generally, while the Commonwealth has not seen antisemitic assaults take place since 2018, there has been an increased frequency of antisemitic harassment and antisemitic vandalism at levels which have remained constant from 2018 to 2021,” the report states.

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Commentary: So-Called ‘Ethnic Studies’ Promote Antisemitism, Bigotry in U.S. Schools

Parents are understandably concerned with the divisive curricula now taught in America’s schools. Ideas like critical race theory and extreme gender ideology often replace the subjects traditionally taught in core classes like science and social studies. Students no longer learn the importance of our nation’s history. They learn a warped worldview that divides us into the oppressors and the oppressed.

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Senator Marco Rubio Denounces Roger Waters’ ‘Antisemitism’ in Op-Ed

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) decried what he described as Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters’ antisemitism.

“Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters describes himself as ‘pro dialogue, pro peace, [and] anti authoritarian.’…[But f]ar from standing ‘in defense of Mistress Liberty,’ Waters has become an advocate for antisemitism, Vladimir Putin’s imperialism, and the Chinese Communist Party’s genocide,” said Rubio on Tuesday, in an opinion piece published in The Floridian.

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U.N. Adopts Resolution Defining Holocaust Denial, Iran Disassociates from the Process

The United Nations General Assembly has agreed on a definition of Holocaust denial, and moved to urge social media companies to “take active measures” to combat antisemitism.

“The General Assembly is sending a strong and unambiguous message against the denial or the distortion of these historical facts. Ignoring historical facts increases the risk that they will be repeated,” Germany’s U.N. Ambassador Antje Leendertse said Thursday.

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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Meets with British Anti-Semite Jeremy Corbyn

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison recently met in London with Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain’s Labour Party. “Awesome day in London, especially meeting with Rt. Hon. Jeremy Corbyn—a true grassroots organizer,” Ellison wrote on Twitter July 2 along with a picture of him posing with Corbyn. Awesome day in London, especially meeting with Rt. Hon. Jeremy Corbyn – a true grassroots organizer. pic.twitter.com/Jl6HhyVNxY — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) July 2, 2019 Ellison evidently met with some of Corbyn’s political allies, too. “Insightful discussion with Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota, on fighting inequality and taking on Trump’s politics of scapegoating and prejudice,” Richard Burgon, a member of Parliament and self-described “socialist,” wrote on Twitter. “Movements backing Bernie Sanders in the USA and Jeremy Corbyn here are part of the same struggle for the many not the few.” Insightful discussion with @keithellison, Attorney General of Minnesota, on fighting inequality & taking on Trump’s politics of scapegoating and prejudice. Movements backing @BernieSanders in the USA and @jeremycorbyn here are part of the same struggle for the many not the few! pic.twitter.com/hzR3l7tPtD — Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) July 4, 2019 Corbyn was mostly a fringe figure in British politics until his ascension to…

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Rashida Tlaib’s Ties to Anti-Semitism Run Deeper Than Previously Known

by Peter Hasson   Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s ties to anti-Semitism run deeper than previously known, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation found. Tlaib, part of a heralded freshman class of House Democrats, has already come under scrutiny over her positions on Israel and ties to fringe figures. But TheDCNF’s investigation uncovered additional ties to anti-Semitism. Tlaib is a member of the Facebook group “Palestinian American Congress,” where members often demonize Jews. The group’s founder, Palestinian activist Maher Abdel-qader, was a key fundraiser for Tlaib and organized campaign events for her around the country. In January 2018, Abdel-qader shared an anti-Semitic video that claimed Jews aren’t actually Jewish, and invented their historical claim to Israel and secretly control the media. The video, which described Jews as “satanic,” also questioned whether 6 million Jews actually died in the Holocaust. “Research the truth about the Holocaust, and you’ll definitely start to question what you thought you knew,” the video’s narrator says. Abdel-qader shared the video both on his personal Facebook page and within the group that now includes Tlaib. The anti-Semitic video Abdel-qader shared multiple times doesn’t appear to have been a one-off occasion. In several other posts to the group,…

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