Anti-Defamation League

== Political positions ==
===Israeli–Palestinian conflict===
The ADL is described as a pro-Israel group.<ref>{{cite web |date=4 September 2013 |title=Pro-Israel groups publicly back U.S. action in Syria |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-usa-israel/pro-israel-groups-publicly-back-u-s-action-in-syria-idUSBRE98213V20130903 |accessdate=4 September 2023 |work=Reuters}}</ref> It says it supports [[Israel]] as a [[Jewish and democratic state]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/fact-sheets/response-to-common-inaccuracy-israel-cant-be-jewish-democratic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622162928/https://www.adl.org/resources/fact-sheets/response-to-common-inaccuracy-israel-cant-be-jewish-democratic|archive-date=June 22, 2019|title=Response To Common Inaccuracy: Israel Can't be Jewish & Democratic|publisher=Anti-Defamation League|url-status=dead}}</ref> It says it supports a [[two-state solution]] to the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]], arguing that in a [[one-state solution]], "demographic realities would lead to the effective end of a Jewish State of Israel."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adl.org/education/resources/fact-sheets/response-to-common-inaccuracy-bi-national-one-state-solution|title=Response To Common Inaccuracy: Bi-National/One-State Solution|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622162926/https://www.adl.org/education/resources/fact-sheets/response-to-common-inaccuracy-bi-national-one-state-solution |archive-date=June 22, 2019 |publisher=Anti-Defamation League|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=January 2022}}

The organization opposed the [[UN General Assembly Resolution 3379|1975 United Nations resolution]] ([[UN General Assembly Resolution 4686|revoked in 1991]]) which stated in the resolution that "Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adl.org/durban/adl_quotes.asp |title=U.N. World Conference Against Racism |publisher=ADL |access-date=March 7, 2006 |archive-date=March 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060326211640/http://www.adl.org/durban/adl_quotes.asp |url-status=live}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=January 2022}} and attempts to revive that formulation at the 2001 U.N. [[World Conference Against Racism]] in [[Durban]], [[South Africa]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adl.org/durban/un_anti-zionism.asp |title=U.N. World Conference Against Racism |publisher=ADL |access-date=March 7, 2006 |archive-date=May 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060502132920/http://www.adl.org/durban/un_anti-zionism.asp |url-status=live }}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=January 2022}} 

==== Israel boycotts and the BDS movement ====
While ADL was a lead supporter of Congressional legislation prohibiting US individuals and businesses from joining "unsanctioned boycotts" such as the 1970s [[Arab League boycott of Israel|Arab League Boycott]] against Israel,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/glossary-terms/arab-economic-boycott|title=Arab Economic Boycott|access-date=March 28, 2020|publisher=ADL|archive-date=March 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328193906/https://www.adl.org/resources/glossary-terms/arab-economic-boycott|url-status=live}}</ref> it has taken a different, case-by-case approach to state [[anti-BDS laws]] more recently enacted in response to the [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions|BDS movement]]. Several of these laws, which seek to prohibit state agencies and instrumentalities from investing in companies that boycott Israel and from entering into contracts with entities that boycott Israel, have been successfully challenged in the courts. The legal challenges have primarily been brought by the [[American Civil Liberties Union|ACLU]] and [[Council on American–Islamic Relations|CAIR]] on First Amendment constitutional grounds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/26/us/texas-bds-law/index.html|first=Joe|last=Sterling|title=Texas has a law that says contractors can't boycott Israel. But a federal judge just blocked it|access-date=March 28, 2020|publisher=CNN|date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=June 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605031318/https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/26/us/texas-bds-law/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=Brian|last=Hauss|date=April 16, 2019|url=https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/arizona-lawmakers-running-scared-after-anti-boycott-law-ruled-unconstitutional|title=Arizona Lawmakers Running Scared After Anti-Boycott Law Ruled Unconstitutional|access-date=March 28, 2020|work=ACLU blog |archive-date=February 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214035621/https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/arizona-lawmakers-running-scared-after-anti-boycott-law-ruled-unconstitutional|url-status=live}}</ref> ADL generally has not publicly supported laws it felt were constitutionally suspect under the First Amendment, both for legal reasons and because the organization believed that such laws, even if what ADL describes as "well-intentioned", were not an effective means of combating the BDS movement.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.adl.org/news/press-releases/adl-urges-texas-city-to-remove-no-israel-boycott-requirement-from-aid|title=ADL Urges Texas City to Remove 'No Israel Boycott' Requirement from Aid Application|access-date=March 28, 2020|publisher=ADL|archive-date=March 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328193744/https://www.adl.org/news/press-releases/adl-urges-texas-city-to-remove-no-israel-boycott-requirement-from-aid|url-status=live|date=October 24, 2017}}</ref> However, as a general matter the organization also has not publicly opposed such state laws, preferring to work behind the scenes to try to make such laws less infirm under the Constitution or to propose non-binding resolutions opposing BDS. A possible division of internal views in ADL was disclosed when the liberal Jewish publication, ''[[The Forward]]'', published ostensible leaked internal ADL staff memos dating from 2016 that opposed the anti-boycott laws.<ref name=":2">{{cite news |last1=Nathan-Kazis |first1=Josh |title=REVEALED: Secret ADL Memo Slammed Anti-BDS Laws As 'Harmful' To Jews |url=https://forward.com/news/416030/revealed-secret-adl-memo-slammed-anti-bds-laws-as-harmful-to-jews/ |work=The Forward |date=December 13, 2018 |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-date=May 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525042943/https://forward.com/news/416030/revealed-secret-adl-memo-slammed-anti-bds-laws-as-harmful-to-jews/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ADL did not comment directly on the leaked memos, but the statement it issued in response appeared to acknowledge both that there were sharply divided views within the organization and that the organization did not try to suppress internal robust discussion.<ref name=":2" />

In 2010, ADL published a list of the "ten leading organizations responsible for maligning Israel in the US," which has included [[ANSWER]], the [[International Solidarity Movement]], and [[Jewish Voice for Peace]] for its call for BDS.<ref>{{cite news |last=Benhorin |first=Yitzhak |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3969798,00.html |title=Jewish group makes ADL blacklist |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017220700/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3969798,00.html |archive-date=October 17, 2010 |work=ynet news |date=October 15, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> The ADL published a similar list in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Eidelson |first1=Josh |title=Anti-Defamation League slams Jewish groups for Israel criticism |url=https://www.salon.com/2013/10/22/anti_defamation_league_slams_jewish_groups_for_israel_criticism/ |work=Salon |date=October 22, 2013 |language=en |access-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318163310/https://www.salon.com/2013/10/22/anti_defamation_league_slams_jewish_groups_for_israel_criticism/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Alongside similar statements from StandWithUs and American Jewish Committee representatives, the ADL's Greenblatt condemned the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]]'s (UNHRC) list of companies doing business with Jewish settlements in Israeli-run territories (West Bank, East Jerusalem, Golan Heights), issued in February 2020, calling it a "blacklist".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bandler |first1=Aaron |title=UNHRC Releases 'Blacklist' of Companies Conducting Business in Israeli Settlements |url=https://jewishjournal.com/news/world/310631/unhrc-releases-blacklist-of-companies-conducting-business-in-israeli-settlements |work=Jewish Journal |date=February 12, 2020 |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328193741/https://jewishjournal.com/news/world/310631/unhrc-releases-blacklist-of-companies-conducting-business-in-israeli-settlements/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Conflation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism===
{{See also|Anti-Zionism}}

In a 2022 speech to ADL leaders, Greenblatt said that "[[anti-Zionism]] is antisemitism".<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Chotiner |first1=Isaac |date=11 May 2022 |title=Is Anti-Zionism Anti-Semitism? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/is-anti-zionism-anti-semitism |access-date=9 January 2023 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref> ''[[The Times of Israel]]'' noted that the "speech marked a rare moment of the organization unequivocally" making that assertion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kampeas |first1=Ron |date=2 May 2022 |title=ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt equates anti-Zionist rhetoric with antisemitism |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/adl-ceo-jonathan-greenblatt-equates-anti-zionist-rhetoric-with-antisemitism/ |access-date=9 January 2023 |website=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref> The remarks upset activists and Jewish groups critical of Israel, and also set off  controversy within the ADL.<ref name="TG11">{{cite web |last=Guyer |first=Jonathan |last2=Perkins |first2=Tom |date=5 January 2024 |title=Anti-Defamation League staff decry 'dishonest' campaign against Israel critics |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/jan/05/adl-pro-israel-advocacy-zionism-antisemitism |accessdate=5 January 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |quote=Critics of the group argue that these and other actions risk undermining the civil rights organization’s counter-extremism work and say the group has foregone much of its historical mission to fight antisemitism in favor of doing advocacy for Israel.}}</ref> Internal ADL messages seen by ''The Guardian'' included a senior manager at ADL’s Center on Extremism writing in protest that: "There is no comparison between white supremacists and insurrectionists and those who espouse anti-Israel rhetoric, and to suggest otherwise is both intellectually dishonest and damaging to our reputation as experts in extremism."<ref name="TG11"/> The newspaper reported that the speech, which "put opposition to Israel on a par with white supremacy as a source of antisemitism", had sparked controversy.<ref name="TG11" />

In January 2024, two-thirds of ADL's tally of more than 3,283 antisemitic incidents in the United States since October 7, 2023, were tied to the [[Israel-Hamas war]]; ''[[The Forward]]'' said the ADL acknowledged "that it significantly broadened its definition of antisemitic incidents following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack to include rallies that feature 'anti-Zionist chants and slogans,' events that appear to account for around 1,317 of the total count".<ref name="tf11">{{cite web |last=Rosenfeld |first=Arno |date=10 January 2024 |title=ADL counts 3,000 antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, two-thirds tied to Israel |url=https://forward.com/news/575687/anti-defamation-league-adl-antisemitism-count-anti-zionism/ |accessdate=14 January 2024 |work=[[The Forward]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chavez |first=Nicole |date=2024-01-10 |title=ADL records more than 3,200 antisemitic incidents since start of Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/us/adl-antisemitism-reports-soar-reaj/index.html |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> The ADL classified anti-war protest events led by Jewish groups including [[Jewish Voice for Peace]] and [[IfNotNow]] as "anti-Israel", adding the protests to a database documenting rising antisemitism in the US. In response, an ADL staffer quit, who told the Guardian that "These were Jewish people who we [as the ADL] were defaming, so that felt extremely, extremely confusing, and frustrating to me. And it makes it harder to talk about that when any criticism of Israel, or anyone who criticizes Israel, just becomes a terrorist."<ref name="TG11"/> The ADL told ''The Intercept'' that it did not consider the protests antisemitic, but Greenblatt labelled the protesting groups as hate groups.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Micah |date=November 11, 2023 |title=Anti-Defamation League Maps Jewish Peace Rallies with Antisemitic Attacks |url=https://theintercept.com/2023/11/11/palestine-israel-protests-ceasefire-antisemitic/ |work=[[The Intercept]] |publisher=}}</ref> Former staff told ''[[The Daily Beast]]'' in 2023 of dissent within the ADL over the increasing equation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism, and over Greenblatt's calls for bans and investigations of pro-Palestinian organizations that he alleged had supported terrorist groups.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weill |first=Kelly |date=2023-11-22 |title=Dissent Over Zionism Is Splitting the ADL From Within: Ex-Staff |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-defamation-league-ex-staff-decry-ceo-jonathan-greenblatts-stance-on-ceasefire-rallies |access-date=2023-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=For More Than 100 Years, the ADL Has Been Fighting Antisemitism. Critics Say It's Losing Its Way |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/anti-defamation-league-elon-musk-jonathan-greenblatt-antisemitism-critics-interviews-1234897065/ |publisher=Rolling Stone}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2024/02/21/adl-palestine-terrorism-legislation|title=How the ADL's Anti-Palestinian Advocacy Helped Shape US Terror Laws|work=The Intercept|accessdate=23 March 2024|date=21 February 2024}}</ref> As of early 2024, two ADL staff quit the group in response to pro-Israel advocacy during the war.<ref name="TG11" />

ADL supported a 5 December 2023 US Congress resolution that described anti-Zionism as antisemitism.<ref name="TG11" /> The ADL and other Jewish groups have campaigned for governments to adopt the [[International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance]] definition of antisemitism, which describes anti-Zionism and some forms of criticism of Israel as antisemitic, according to ''The Guardian''.<ref name="TG11" />

Critics of the ADL said that such advocacy for Israel had undermined the group's counter-extremism work and argued that it had foregone parts of its historical mission against antsemitism, according to ''The Guardian''.<ref name="TG11"/> In 2024, an article in ''[[The Nation]]'' said, "The ADL's priority today remains—as it has for decades—going after Americans who are simply opposed to Israel’s endless occupation and oppression of Palestinians", and criticized what it described as US media outlets using ADL reports on antisemitism uncritically.<ref name="tn111"/>

=== New antisemitism concept ===
{{main|New antisemitism}}

In 1974, ADL attorney [[Arnold Forster (ADL)|Arnold Forster]] and national director [[Benjamin Epstein]] published the book ''The New Anti-Semitism''. They expressed concern about what they described as new manifestations of antisemitism coming from radical left, radical right, and pro-Arab figures in the US.<ref>Forster, Arnold & Epstein, Benjamin, ''The New Anti-Semitism''. McGraw-Hill 1974, p.165. See for instance chapters entitled "[[Gerald L. K. Smith|Gerald Smith]]'s Road" (19–48), "The Radical Right" (285–296), "Arabs and Pro-Arabs" (155–174), "The Radical Left" (125–154)</ref> Forster and Epstein argued that radical left antisemitism took the form of indifference to the fears of the Jewish people, apathy in dealing with anti-Jewish bias, and an inability to understand the importance of Israel to Jewish survival.<ref name="ForsterEpstein324">Forster, Arnold & Epstein, Benjamin, ''The New Anti-Semitism''. McGraw-Hill 1974, p. 324.</ref> A subsequent book, ''The Real Anti-Semitism in America'', published in 1982, was written by ADL national leader Nathan Perlmutter and his wife, Ruth Ann Perlmutter.<ref name="JTAobit" />

Reviewing Forster and Epstein's work in 1974 for the [[neoconservative]] magazine ''[[Commentary (magazine)|Commentary]]'', Earl Raab, founding director of the Nathan Perlmutter Institute for Jewish Advocacy at [[Brandeis University]], agreed that a "new anti-Semitism" was indeed emerging in America in the form of opposition to the supposed collective rights of the Jewish people, but Raab criticized Forster and Epstein for "stretch[ing] the word in practice to mean anti-Israel bias in general".<ref name="raab11">{{cite magazine |last=Raab |first=Earl |date=May 1974 |title=Is there a New Anti-Semitism? |url=https://www.commentary.org/articles/earl-raab-2/is-there-a-new-anti-semitism/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Commentary magazine]] |pages=53–54 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201144943/https://www.commentary.org/articles/earl-raab-2/is-there-a-new-anti-semitism/ |archive-date=December 1, 2021}}</ref> Allan Brownfeld, a columnist with ''The Lincoln Review'', wrote in the ''[[Journal of Palestine Studies]]'' 1987 that Forster and Epstein's new definition of antisemitism trivialized the concept by turning it into "a form of political blackmail" and "a weapon with which to silence any criticism of either Israel or US policy in the Middle East,"<ref>{{cite journal |last=Brownfeld |first=Allan |year=1987 |title=Anti-Semitism: Its Changing Meaning |journal=[[Journal of Palestine Studies]] |publisher=[[Institute for Palestine Studies]] |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=53–67 |doi=10.2307/2536789 |issn=1533-8614 |jstor=2536789}}</ref> while [[Edward S. Shapiro]], in ''A Time for Healing: American Jewry Since World War II'', has written that, "Forster and Epstein implied that the new antisemitism was the inability of Gentiles to love Jews and Israel enough."<ref>{{cite book |last=Shapiro |first=Edward S. |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780801843471/page/47 |title=A Time for Healing: American Jewry Since World War II |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-8018-4347-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780801843471/page/47 47] |author-link=Edward S. Shapiro}}</ref>

In 2005, [[Norman Finkelstein]] wrote that organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League have brought forward charges of new antisemitism at various intervals since the 1970s, "not to fight antisemitism, but rather to exploit the historical suffering of Jews in order to immunize Israel against criticism."<ref name="Finkelstein21">{{cite book |last=Finkelstein |first=Norman |title=Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History |title-link=Beyond Chutzpah |publisher=University of California Press |year=2005 |pages=21–22 |author-link=Norman Finkelstein}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported in 2006 that the ADL had over the years repeatedly accused Finkelstein of being a "[[Holocaust denial|Holocaust denier]]", and that "these charges have proved baseless."<ref name="WP sparks">{{cite news |last=Powell |first=Michael |date=October 9, 2006 |title=In N.Y., Sparks Fly Over Israel Criticism |pages=A03 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/08/AR2006100800817.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821144329/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/08/AR2006100800817.html |archive-date=August 21, 2017}}.</ref><ref>The terms the ADL website uses to describe Finkelstein are "an anti-Israel academic whose career has been marked by a vitriolic hatred of Zionism and Israel" ({{cite web |title=You are being redirected... |url=https://chicago.adl.org/former-depaul-professor-norman-finkelstein-to-speak-at-kinderusa-fundraiser/ |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=You are being redirected... |ref={{sfnref | You are being redirected...}}}}), "anti-Israel academic" ({{cite web |date=17 November 2022 |title=Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP): What You Need to Know |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/jewish-voice-peace-jvp-what-you-need-know |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=ADL |ref={{sfnref | ADL | 2022}}}}, {{cite web |date=20 May 2020 |title=Antisemitism and the Radical Anti-Israel Movement on U.S. Campuses, 2019 |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/report/antisemitism-and-radical-anti-israel-movement-us-campuses-2019 |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=ADL |ref={{sfnref | ADL | 2020}}}}), "political scientist" ({{cite web |date=27 February 2020 |title=Antisemitism Uncovered: Myth – Jews Use Christian Blood for Religious Rituals |url=https://antisemitism.adl.org/blood/ |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=Antisemitism Uncovered |language=es |ref={{sfnref | Antisemitism Uncovered | 2020}}}}), "an anti-Israel speaker" ({{cite web |date=22 January 2014 |title=Ron Unz: Controversial Writer and Funder of Anti-israel Activists |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/news/ron-unz-controversial-writer-and-funder-anti-israel-activists |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=ADL |ref={{sfnref | ADL | 2014}}}})</ref>

=== Circumcision ===
ADL has opposed efforts in the US and in Europe to ban [[circumcision]] of minors on the grounds of parental and religious freedom, citing the importance of circumcision in Judaism and Islam.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Madrid |first1=Carolina |title=Jews, Muslims sue to block referendum on circumcision |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-circumcision-sanfrancisco-idUSTRE75M05120110623 |website=Reuters |access-date=September 22, 2020 |date=June 22, 2011 |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001214734/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-circumcision-sanfrancisco-idUSTRE75M05120110623 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Harkov |first1=Lahav |title=Germany must pass law to protect circumcision |url=https://www.jpost.com/National-News/Germany-must-pass-law-to-protect-circumcision |work=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=September 22, 2020 |date=June 27, 2012 |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001183134/https://www.jpost.com/National-News/Germany-must-pass-law-to-protect-circumcision |url-status=live }}</ref> ADL has also criticized specific instances of anti-circumcision imagery, such as an anti-circumcision cartoon in the Norwegian newspaper ''[[Dagbladet]]''<ref>{{cite news |title=Jewish organizations slam circumcision cartoon |url=https://www.jpost.com/jewish-world/jewish-news/jewish-organizations-slam-circumcision-cartoon-314819 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=September 22, 2020 |date=May 30, 2013 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112034402/https://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Jewish-organizations-slam-circumcision-cartoon-314819 |url-status=live |agency=Jewish Telegraphic Agency}}</ref> and the comic book ''[[Foreskin Man]]''. Regarding the latter, Associate Regional Director Nancy Appel stated that while good people could disagree on the issue of circumcision, it was unacceptable to use antisemitic imagery within the debate.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Oster |first1=Marcy |title=Anti-circumcision cartoon called anti-Semitic |url=https://www.jta.org/2011/06/06/united-states/anti-circumcision-cartoon-called-anti-semitic |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |access-date=September 22, 2020 |date=June 6, 2011 |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126124919/https://www.jta.org/2011/06/06/united-states/anti-circumcision-cartoon-called-anti-semitic |url-status=live }}</ref> ADL also criticized an anti-circumcision resolution by the [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe]], describing it as "leading Europe in a horrific direction toward the forced exclusion of Jewish citizens."<ref>{{cite press release |title=ADL: Circumcision Resolution "Targets Europe's Jewish Citizens" |url=https://www.adl.org/news/press-releases/adl-circumcision-resolution-targets-europes-jewish-citizens |website=Anti-Defamation League |access-date=August 25, 2020 |archive-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128163726/https://www.adl.org/news/press-releases/adl-circumcision-resolution-targets-europes-jewish-citizens |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, ADL's Jonathan Greenblatt sent [[Althing|Iceland's Parliament]] a letter regarding a proposed infant circumcision ban in that country, arguing that the ban should be rejected due to circumcision's religious significance and health benefits. Greenblatt also said that if the ban passed, ADL would report on any celebration by antisemites and other extremists, asserting that this would deter tourism and harm Iceland's economy.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Greenblatt |first1=Jonathan A. |author-link1=Jonathan Greenblatt |title=Comments regarding: Þingskjal: 183-114. mál Umsögn um breytingu á almennum hegningarlögum nr. 19/1940 (bann við umskurði drengja) |url=https://www.althingi.is/altext/erindi/148/148-787.pdf |website=Alþingi |access-date=August 26, 2020 |archive-date=September 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922093925/https://www.althingi.is/altext/erindi/148/148-787.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''[[Reykjavík Grapevine]]'' described this letter as a threat.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Demurtas |first1=Alice |title=American Anti-Defamation League Threatens Iceland Because Of Circumcision Ban |url=https://grapevine.is/news/2018/03/22/american-anti-defamation-league-speaks-up-about-circumcision-ban/ |website=The Reykjavík Grapevine |publisher=Fröken Ltd. |access-date=August 25, 2020 |date=March 22, 2018 |archive-date=July 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712222106/https://grapevine.is/news/2018/03/22/american-anti-defamation-league-speaks-up-about-circumcision-ban/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Federal and state legislation ===
ADL was among the lead organizations campaigning for thirteen years, ultimately successfully, for the [[Matthew Shepard Act|Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://law.duke.edu/news/michael-lieberman-81/|title=Michael Lieberman '81|website=Duke Law News Releases|access-date=March 28, 2020|archive-date=March 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328193846/https://law.duke.edu/news/michael-lieberman-81/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-loretta-e-lynch-hosts-63rd-annual-attorney-general-awards-honoring|title=Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Hosts the 63rd Annual Attorney General Awards Honoring Department Employees and Others For Their Service|date=October 21, 2015|type=U.S. Department of Justice News Release|access-date=March 28, 2020|archive-date=March 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328193740/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-loretta-e-lynch-hosts-63rd-annual-attorney-general-awards-honoring|url-status=live}}</ref> The hold-up in passing that law focused on the inclusion of the term "sexual orientation" as one of the bases that a crime could be deemed a hate crime.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/year-blaze-bernsteins-killing-parents-turn-alleged-hate/story?id=59754707|title=1 year after Blaze Bernstein's killing, parents look to turn alleged hate crime into 'movement of hope'|website=[[ABC News]]|date=December 30, 2018|access-date=April 1, 2020|archive-date=April 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429033814/https://abcnews.go.com/US/year-blaze-bernsteins-killing-parents-turn-alleged-hate/story?id=59754707|url-status=live}}</ref> ADL also drafted the model hate crimes legislation in the 1980s; it serves as a model for the legislation that a majority of states have adopted.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/hate-crime-laws-dont-prevent-violence-against-lgbt-people/|title=Hate Crime Laws Don't Prevent Violence Against LGBT People: So why do many LGBT people, and others, feel so deeply about the need to have them?|journal=The Nation|date=October 2, 2013|last1=Bronski|first1=Michael|last2=Pellegrini|first2=Ann|last3=Amico|first3=Michael|access-date=March 29, 2020|archive-date=March 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329163617/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/hate-crime-laws-dont-prevent-violence-against-lgbt-people/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2010, during a hearing for Florida House Bill 11 (Crimes Against Homeless Persons), which was to revise the list of offenses judged to be [[Hate crime laws in the United States|hate crimes]] in Florida by adding a person's homeless status,<ref>{{cite web| title = flhouse.gov HB 11 – Crimes Against Homeless Persons| url = http://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=42143&| access-date = April 22, 2010| archive-date = July 21, 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721040919/http://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=42143&| url-status = live}}</ref> the League lobbied against the bill, which subsequently passed in the House by a vote of 80 to 28 and was sent to the Senate,<ref>{{cite web| title = flhouse.gov HB 11 Apr 20 2010 – Voting record Florida House of Representatives| url = http://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/floorvote.aspx?VoteId=10836&BillId=42143&| access-date = April 22, 2010| archive-date = July 21, 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721040957/http://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/floorvote.aspx?VoteId=10836&BillId=42143&| url-status = live}}</ref> taking the position that adding more categories to the list would dilute the effectiveness of the law, which already includes race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and age.<ref>{{cite web| title = Homeless could be added to Florida's hate crimes law| website = [[Miami Herald]]| url = http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/21/1589541/homeless-could-be-added-to-floridas.html| access-date = April 22, 2010}} ''Miami Herald'', Miami Herald Media Co., April 21, 2010, by Lee Logan, Tallahassee Bureau: "During a committee hearing on the bill, the Anti-Defamation League spoke against the bill, arguing that adding more categories to the hate crimes law would dilute its effect. But lawmakers were swayed by arguments in favor of protecting the homeless."</ref>

ADL expressed concern over Israeli legislative proposals requiring that NGOs publicize if they receive funding primarily from non-Israeli governments, a bill mostly opposed by centrist and left-wing and supported by right-wing Jewish American groups.<ref>{{cite press release|title=ADL Concerned That Proposed Legislation on NGO Funding in Israel Would Erode Nation's Democratic Character |url=http://www.adl.org/press-center/press-releases/israel-middle-east/adl-concerned-that-proposed-legislation-on-ngo-funding.html |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117014336/http://www.adl.org/press-center/press-releases/israel-middle-east/adl-concerned-that-proposed-legislation-on-ngo-funding.html |archive-date=January 17, 2016 |url-status=live |date=January 11, 2016 |quote=In 2011, the League urged the Israeli government to work to modify two similar bills regarding donations from foreign governments to Israeli NGOs, and voiced concern over laws that stifle free expression.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/reform-joins-adl-ajc-in-opposing-israels-ngo-bill/|title=Reform joins ADL, AJC in opposing Israel's NGO bill|website=[[The Times of Israel]]|access-date=February 5, 2016|archive-date=February 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217180518/http://www.timesofisrael.com/reform-joins-adl-ajc-in-opposing-israels-ngo-bill/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=March 2021}}

=== College classes and student organizations ===
In early 2023, the ADL pressured [[Bard College]] to cancel a course called "[[Israel and apartheid|Apartheid]] in Israel-Palestine" taught by Jerusalem-based researcher [[Nathan Thrall]]. The course had also been objected to by an Israeli consul. Bard's president, [[Leon Botstein]], described the phone call with ADL CEO Greenblatt as "not civil".<ref>{{Cite news |last=McGreal |first=Chris |date=2023-11-08 |title=Israeli diplomat pressured US college to drop course on 'apartheid' debate |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/08/israeli-diplomat-bard-college-apartheid-debate |access-date=2023-11-11 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In October 2023, the ADL sent letters to almost two hundred college presidents condemning [[Students for Justice in Palestine]] chapters, encouraging them to investigate the groups and alleging that student groups may be funding or receiving funds for Hamas.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Green |first=Emma |date=2023-12-15 |title=How a Student Group Is Politicizing a Generation on Palestine |language=en-US |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-education/how-a-generation-is-being-politicized-on-palestine |access-date=2023-12-18 |issn=0028-792X}}</ref>

=== Policing in the United States ===
ADL advocacy work extends into police trainings on anti-semitism, hate crime reporting, and bias. ADL has also given awards and honors to various persons and agencies in law enforcement, including [[Raymond Kelly]] and [[William Bratton]] of [[NYPD]],<ref name=":24" /> [[Houston Police Department|Houston Police]] chief [[Art Acevedo]],<ref>Targeted News Service. (June 3, 2019 Monday). Anti-Defamation League Honors Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo With Gorowitz Institute Service Award. Targeted News Service.</ref> and officers of [[St. Louis County Police Department]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohn |first=Robert |date=2016-12-21 |title=ADL event pays tribute to Missouri law enforcement |url=https://stljewishlight.org/opinion/adl-event-pays-tribute-to-missouri-law-enforcement/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=St. Louis Jewish Light}}</ref>

Analysis of [[BlueLeaks]] files shows a strong relationship between the ADL and American law enforcement agencies, with the ADL being among a small group of community organizations that provide training or are consulted by law enforcement officers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Jason |date=2023-12-08 |title=US police agencies took intelligence directly from IDF, leaked files show |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/08/us-police-agencies-idf-files-blueleaks |access-date=2023-12-13 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==== Delegations ====
The ADL facilitates [[Law enforcement in the United States|US police]] delegations to Israel and the National Counter-Terrorism Seminar. The focus is on [[counterterrorism]], tactics and strategies, and leadership. The ADL director of law enforcement initiatives expressed hope that Israeli police are seen as a model for police in the US, and says that police officers participating in trips to Israel "come back and they are Zionists." In addition to police agencies, participants in the program include leadership from [[Immigration Customs and Enforcement|ICE]], [[US Marshals]], and [[Naval Criminal Investigative Service]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hartman |first=Ben |date=2015-09-09 |title=American law enforcement learns anti-terror tactics from Israeli experts |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/american-law-enforcement-delegation-learn-anti-terror-tactics-from-israeli-experts-415757 |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en-US}}</ref>

The National Counter-Terrorism Seminar received wide attention following the [[Ferguson Uprising]] when it was revealed that former [[St. Louis County Police Department|St. Louis County Police]] chief Timothy Fitch was a previous participant, as well as leaders of other police forces that had demonstrated undue force and surveillance against civilians.<ref>{{Cite web |last=#teamEBONY |date=2014-08-19 |title=The Ferguson/Palestine Connection |url=https://www.ebony.com/the-fergusonpalestine-connection-403/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=EBONY |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Deadly Exchange|Campaigns against the trips]], citing [[militarization of police]] concerns, were successful in [[Vermont]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keays |first=Alan J. |date=2018-11-30 |title=State police leader backs out of training in Israel after blowback |url=http://vtdigger.org/2018/11/29/state-police-leader-backs-training-israel-blowback/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=VTDigger |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[Durham, North Carolina]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Younes |first=Ali |title=US city bans police training with Israel |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/4/19/durham-first-us-city-to-ban-police-training-with-israeli-military |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> In 2020, the program was put on pause due to the associated costs and controversies. An internal memo opened questions as to the purpose and unintended impacts of the delegations, and recommended ending them altogether.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kane |first1=Alex |last2=Levin |first2=Sam |date=March 17, 2022 |title=Internal ADL Memo Recommended Ending Police Delegations to Israel Amid Backlash |url=https://jewishcurrents.org/scoop-internal-adl-memo-recommended-ending-police-delegations-to-israel-amid-backlash |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Jewish Currents |language=en}}</ref> ADL told press that they intend to continue the program with revised curriculum and evaluation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CRAMER |first=PHILISSA |date=2022-03-19 |title=ADL considered scrapping its US police training trips to Israel — but decided not to |url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-701730 |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en-US}}</ref>

===South Africa and apartheid===
The ADL, the AJC, and other American Jewish groups asked [[Nelson Mandela]] to clarify his views on the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]] in 1990 in advance of a visit Mandela planned to the United States. The groups' leaders said they were concerned about the possibility of protests because Mandela had embraced [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] Chairman [[Yasser Arafat]] and Libyan president [[Muammar Gaddafi]]. The ADL said it was "disturbed and pained" by comments Mandela had made in a meeting earlier that year with PLO leader Yasser Arafat.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jewish Groups Question ANC Leader Over Israel |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/06/09/jewish-groups-question-anc-leader-over-israel/eef75c4e-73fd-46dd-92cc-a0db57caf6cb/ |accessdate=2023-03-26}}</ref> Mandela met with a group of the American Jewish leaders in [[Geneva]] including ADL director Abe Foxman. At the event, Mandela expressed appreciation for South African Jews who opposed apartheid, praised past Israeli leaders [[Golda Meir]] and [[Menachem Begin]], and said that the State of Israel had a right to exist. According to Foxman, Mandela told the group "I'm not angry at you and Israel because Israel was dealing with the apartheid South African government. Therefore, don't be angry at me because I was dealing with Castro and Arafat. If you can understand that, we can go forward."<ref>{{cite web |date=June 11, 1990 |title=Mandela Regrets Offending Jews, Says He is Ready to Visit Israel |url=https://www.jta.org/archive/mandela-regrets-offending-jews-says-he-is-ready-to-visit-israel |accessdate=2023-03-26 |publisher=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]}}</ref><ref name="How Mandela Won">{{cite web |title=How Mandela Won Over the Jewish Community |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/news/how-mandela-won-over-jewish-community |accessdate=2023-03-26 |publisher=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref>

In his 2010 book ''The Unspoken Alliance'', [[Sasha Polakow-Suransky]] criticized the ADL for hiring the private spy Roy Bullock to collect information on the anti-apartheid movement in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kane |first=Alex |date=December 29, 2021 |title=Desmond Tutu's Lifelong Struggle Against Apartheid |url=https://jewishcurrents.org/desmond-tutus-lifelong-struggle-against-apartheid |accessdate=2023-03-27 |website=[[Jewish Currents]] |publisher=}}</ref> [[Glenn Frankel]], writing about the book, said the ADL "participated in a blatant propaganda campaign against Nelson Mandela and the ANC" during the 1980s but had changed its stance on Mandela around 1990 with Foxman calling him a hero.<ref name="fp1" /> South African-born Israeli journalist [[Benjamin Pogrund]] said in a review of ''The Unspoken Alliance'' for ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]'' that the ADL and South Africa's Jewish Board of Deputies "played toadying and inglorious roles over the years in defending [[Israel–South Africa relations#Early relations: 1948–1994|Israel's ties]] and in support of the apartheid government".<ref name="thejc1" />

=== Armenian genocide ===
Prior to 2007, the ADL described the [[Armenian genocide]] as a massacre and an atrocity, but not a [[genocide]].<ref name="http" /> Foxman had earlier opposed calls for the US Government to recognise it as a genocide.<ref name="jewcy1">{{cite web |last=Kurtzman |first=Joey |date=July 8, 2007 |title=Fire Foxman: Denying the Armenian genocide should be the last atrocity perpetrated by the ADL chief. |url=http://www.jewcy.com/feature/2007-07-09/fire_foxman |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308081305/http://www.jewcy.com/feature/2007-07-09/fire_foxman |archive-date=March 8, 2008 |access-date=March 14, 2008 |website=[[Jewcy]] |publisher=Tablet magazine}}</ref> ADL was reported to have received direct pressure from the Turkish foreign ministry.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ravid |first=Barak |date=October 10, 2007 |title=טורקיה לישראל: עזרו לנו לעצור הכרה אמריקאית בשואה הארמנית |newspaper=Haaretz |url=http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/911393.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215025515/http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/911393.html |archive-date=February 15, 2009}}</ref>

In [[Watertown, Massachusetts]], which has a significant Armenian population, the town council in early August 2007 decided unanimously to withdraw from ADL's "No Place for Hate" anti-discrimination campaign over the issue. Human rights commissions in some other Massachusetts communities also withdrew in subsequent months.<ref name="Woolhouse">{{cite news |last=Woolhouse |first=Megan |date=December 5, 2007 |title=ADL's regional leader resigns: Backers cite rift on genocide issue |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/05/adls_regional_leader_resigns/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217152919/http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/05/adls_regional_leader_resigns/ |archive-date=February 17, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Esker |first=Sharon Tosto |title=City recognizes Armenian genocide, suspends ADL membership |language=en |work=Medford Transcript |url=http://medford.wickedlocal.com/x96464381 |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505212320/http://medford.wickedlocal.com/x96464381 |archive-date=May 5, 2018}}</ref> An editorial in ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' criticized the ADL, saying, "as an organization concerned about human rights, it ought to acknowledge the genocide against the Armenian people during World War I, and criticize Turkish attempts to repress the memory of this historical reality."<ref>{{cite news |date=August 3, 2007 |title=Editorial: A genocide not to be denied |work=[[Boston Globe]] |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/08/03/a_genocide_not_to_be_denied/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104144821/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/08/03/a_genocide_not_to_be_denied/ |archive-date=November 4, 2011}}</ref> On August 17, 2007, ADL fired its regional New England director, Andrew H. Tarsy, for breaking ranks and saying that ADL should recognize the genocide.<ref name="obrien">{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Keith |date=August 18, 2007 |title=ADL local leader fired on Armenian issue: Genocide question sparked bitter debate |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/18/adl_local_leader_fired_on_armenian_issue/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517001844/http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/18/adl_local_leader_fired_on_armenian_issue/ |archive-date=May 17, 2008}}</ref> In its August 21, 2007, "Statement on the Armenian Genocide", ADL acknowledged the genocide, but maintained its opposition to congressional resolutions aimed at recognizing it.<ref name="http" /> Foxman wrote that "the consequences of those actions" by the [[Ottoman Empire]] against Armenians "were indeed tantamount to genocide" and "If the word genocide had existed then, they would have called it genocide".<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":25" /> The [[Turkish government]] condemned the league's statement.<ref>{{cite news |last=Levenson |first=Michael |date=August 24, 2007 |title=Turkey condemns statement by ADL |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/24/turkey_condemns_statement_by_adl/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826204901/http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/24/turkey_condemns_statement_by_adl/ |archive-date=August 26, 2007}}</ref> It was also criticized by activists who believed that it failed to be unequivocal because of its qualifier "tantamount".<ref name=":25" /> The [[Armenian National Committee of America|Armenian National Committee]] welcomed the ADL's change of position but criticized its lack of support for legislation.<ref name=":25">{{cite news |last1=Schwartz |first1=Penny |date=October 17, 2007 |title=Armenians push forward with ADL fight |work=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |url=https://www.jta.org/2007/10/17/united-states/armenians-push-forward-with-adl-fight |url-status=live |access-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925120309/https://www.jta.org/2007/10/17/united-states/armenians-push-forward-with-adl-fight |archive-date=September 25, 2020}}</ref> Tarsy won his job back,<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Keith |date=September 7, 2007 |title=Anti-Defamation League rehires New England director |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/08/antidefamation_1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831110745/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/08/antidefamation_1.html |archive-date=August 31, 2009}}</ref> but he subsequently submitted his resignation, on December 4, 2007.<ref name="Woolhouse" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Axelbank |first=Rachel |date=December 6, 2007 |title=Tarsy Resignation Draws Mixed Emotions From Area Colleagues |url=http://www.thejewishadvocate.com/this_weeks_issue/news/?content_id=4108 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210223450/http://www.thejewishadvocate.com/this_weeks_issue/news/?content_id=4108 |archive-date=December 10, 2007 |access-date=January 7, 2008 |publisher=Jewish Advocate |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

On May 2, 2014, an ADL statement said it was "deeply concerned by ongoing questions about our organization's position with regard to the Armenian Genocide". It said that the ADL had not denied atrocities against Armenians.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ADL Statement on the Armenian Genocide {{!}} ADL |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/news/adl-statement-armenian-genocide |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=www.adl.org |language=en}}</ref>

On October 28, 2019, the ADL endorsed the bipartisan H. Res. 296, which states that the U.S. officially recognizes the Armenian genocide and encourages education and public understanding on the issue. ADL also endorsed and encouraged action on S. Res. 150, the resolution's identical bipartisan companion measure in the Senate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ADL Endorses Congressional Resolution Commemorating the Armenian Genocide {{!}} ADL |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adl-endorses-congressional-resolution-commemorating-armenian-genocide |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=www.adl.org |language=en}}</ref>

=== Park51 Community Center opposition ===
In 2010, ADL issued a statement opposing the [[Park51]] Community Center, a proposed Islamic community center and mosque two blocks from the [[World Trade Center site]] in New York. It said, "The controversy which has emerged regarding the building of a Community Center at this location is counterproductive to the healing process. Therefore, under these unique circumstances, we believe the City of New York would be better served if an alternative location could be found."<ref name="berk">{{cite news |last=Berkman |first=Jacob |date=July 30, 2010 |title=ADL opposes World Trade Center Mosque |work=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]] |url=http://blogs.jta.org/telegraph/article/2010/07/30/2740283/adl-opposes-world-trade-center-mosque |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803005159/http://blogs.jta.org/telegraph/article/2010/07/30/2740283/adl-opposes-world-trade-center-mosque |archive-date=August 3, 2010}}</ref> ADL denounced what it saw as bigoted attacks on the project. Foxman opined that some of those who oppose the mosque are "bigots", and that the plan's proponents may have every right to build the mosque at that location. Nevertheless, he said that building the mosque at that site would unnecessarily cause more pain for the families of some victims of 9/11.<ref name="berk" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Jacoby |first=Susan |author-link=Susan Jacoby |date=August 6, 2010 |title=The Spirited Atheist: Ground Zero mosque protected by First Amendment – but it's still salt in a wound |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/spirited_atheist/2010/08/ground_zero_mosque_protected_by_first_amendment--but_its_still_salt_in_a_wound.html |url-status=dead |access-date=April 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817115334/http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/spirited_atheist/2010/08/ground_zero_mosque_protected_by_first_amendment--but_its_still_salt_in_a_wound.html |archive-date=August 17, 2010}}</ref><ref name="nytimes6">{{cite news |date=August 4, 2010 |title=The ADL, the Mosque and the Fight Against Bigotry |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/opinion/l05mosque.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803041802/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/opinion/l05mosque.html |archive-date=August 3, 2017}}</ref>

This opposition to the Community Center led to criticism of the statement from various parties, including one ADL board member, the American Jewish Committee, the [[Jewish Community Relations Council|Jewish Community Relations Council of New York]], Rabbi [[Irwin Kula]], columnists [[Jeffrey Goldberg]] and [[Peter Beinart]], the [[Interfaith Alliance]],<ref>Adam Dickter, [http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/wake_adl_jewish_groups_back_ground_zero_mosque "In Wake Of ADL, Jewish Groups Back Ground Zero Mosque"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806183447/http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/wake_adl_jewish_groups_back_ground_zero_mosque|date=August 6, 2010}}, ''[[The Jewish Week]]'', August 3, 2010.</ref> and the [[Shalom Center]].<ref>Grace Rauh, [http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/top_stories/123265/jewish-leaders-rally-in-support-of-wtc-mosque/ "Jewish Leaders Rally In Support Of WTC Mosque"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816033945/http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/top_stories/123265/jewish-leaders-rally-in-support-of-wtc-mosque|date=August 16, 2010}}, ''[[NY1]]'', August 5, 2010.</ref> In an interview with ''The New York Times'' Abraham Foxman published a statement in reaction to criticism.<ref>Abraham H. Foxman, [http://www.adl.org/ADL_Opinions/Interfaith/Mosque_Ground_Zero.htm "The Mosque at Ground Zero"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806020909/http://www.adl.org/ADL_Opinions/Interfaith/Mosque_Ground_Zero.htm|date=August 6, 2010}}, originally published in ''[[Huffington Post]]'', August 2, 2010.</ref> In protest of ADL's stance, [[CNN]] host [[Fareed Zakaria]] returned the Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize ADL awarded him in 2005.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 9, 2010 |title=CNN host returns ADL award over stance on Islamic center |work=[[CNN]] |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/07/new.york.zakaria.adl/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108133149/http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/07/new.york.zakaria.adl/ |archive-date=November 8, 2012}}</ref> ADL chair Robert G. Sugarman responded to a critical ''New York Times'' editorial<ref>{{cite news |date=August 3, 2010 |title=Editorial {{!}} A Monument to Tolerance |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/opinion/04wed1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107035929/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/opinion/04wed1.html |archive-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref> writing, "we have publicly taken on those who criticized the mosque in ways that reflected anti-Muslim bigotry or used the controversy for that purpose" and stating that ADL has combated Islamophobia.<ref name="nytimes6" />
	
On September 5, 2021, the national director and CEO of ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, apologized for ADL's opposition to the center, stating, "We were wrong, plain and simple".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Greenblatt |first=Jonathan A. |date=September 5, 2021 |title=Opinion {{!}} ADL head: On NY Islamic center, we were wrong, plain and simple |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/04/opinions/park-51-anti-defamation-league-9-11-greenblatt/index.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Barnard |first=Anne |author-link=Anne Barnard |date=September 11, 2021 |title=Painful memory for Muslims: Outrage over a proposed Islamic center in Manhattan. |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/11/nyregion/muslim-islamic-center-9-11.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Elfer |first=Helen |date=September 5, 2021 |title=Anti-Defamation League apologises for opposing mosque near Ground Zero after 9/11 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/anti-defamation-league-apologises-opposing-181649708.html |website=Yahoo!News |publisher=The Independent}}</ref>

=== Other ===
In October 2010, the ADL condemned remarks by [[Ovadia Yosef]] that the sole purpose of non-Jews was to serve the Jews.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mozgovaya |first=Natasha |author-link=Natasha Mozgovaya |title=ADL slams Shas spiritual leader for saying non-Jews 'were born to serve Jews' |url=http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/adl-slams-shas-spiritual-leader-for-saying-non-jews-were-born-to-serve-jews-1.320235 |work=Haaretz |date=October 20, 2010 |language=en |access-date=October 21, 2010 |archive-date=October 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004155828/http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/adl-slams-shas-spiritual-leader-for-saying-non-jews-were-born-to-serve-jews-1.320235 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

ADL supports [[Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007|Comprehensive]] and [[DREAM Act]] legislation that would provide conditional permanent residency to certain undocumented immigrants of good moral character who graduate from US high schools, arrived in the United States as minors, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment.<ref>{{cite news|title=Afirman que con el debate de reforma migratoria subieron los crímenes de odio|publisher=EFE News Services|date=January 25, 2013|quote= La Liga Antidifamación Judía ( ADL ) aseguró hoy que desde que se inició el debate sobre una reforma migratoria integral en Estados Unidos se ha registrado un aumento de los crímenes de odio contra los hispanos. ... Por su parte, el director del Departamento de Asuntos Legales de ADL, Steven Freeman, dijo a Efe que esta organización aboga por una reforma migratoria integral y el Dream Act}}</ref>

The ADL repeatedly criticized Trump for what they viewed as antisemitic tropes and engagement in apologetics for white supremacists.<ref name=":6">{{Cite press release|url=https://www.adl.org/news/press-releases/adl-condemns-president-trumps-remarks|title=ADL Condemns President Trump's Remarks|date=August 15, 2017|website=ADL|access-date=April 22, 2020|archive-date=August 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817122535/https://www.adl.org/news/press-releases/adl-condemns-president-trumps-remarks|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" /> Alongside at least eight other Jewish advocacy organizations, dozens of civil rights organizations, and more than one hundred members of congress, ADL called on the Trump administration to fire administration executive [[Stephen Miller (political advisor)|Stephen Miller]], the architect of the Trump administration policies on immigration, condemning Miller as a white supremacist.<ref name=":5" />

In 2022, the ADL criticized the government formed by [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] in [[Thirty-seventh government of Israel|his sixth term]], which included representatives from the far-right [[Otzma Yehudit]] and [[Religious Zionist Party]], and their leaders, [[Itamar Ben-Gvir]] and [[Bezalel Smotrich]]. The ADL said that including these parties and lawmakers "would run counter to Israel's founding principles, and impact its standing, even among its strongest supporters."<ref>{{cite web |title=ADL says including far right in next government will hurt country globally |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/adl-says-including-far-right-in-next-government-will-hurt-country-globally/ |website=The Times of Israel |access-date=9 January 2023 |date=3 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Federman |first1=Josef |title=Jewish Americans express alarm over expected Israeli government |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/jewish-americans-express-alarm-over-expected-israeli-government |website=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=9 January 2023 |date=7 December 2022}}</ref>